Lucky: An Oblivion Short Story
by EmeraldDraegon
Summary: Waking up in prison wasn't his idea of a good day. But when Emperor Uriel Septim escapes through his cell, giving him the Amulet of Kings and an important mission to go with it, things seem like they're starting to go better... until the Amulet is stolen.
1. Chapter 1: The Emperor Might Be Crazy

He woke with a start. He had heard something. Seeing nothing but stone walls from his prone position, he sat up. The other end of the small room was not stone. It was iron bars. A prison cell.

Oh yeah. That's right.

The Imperial guards had come and put an end to the brawl he'd started last night. It was over something silly... he couldn't even remember what. He'd been drunk of course, evidenced by the headache he was now sporting. But he barely felt it. He'd learned to deal with the pain of hangovers, just as he'd learned to deal with the pain of being orphaned.

That sudden thought brought back a wealth of painful memories that threatened to overwhelm him. Sitting on the edge of the cot, he held his throbbing head in his hands. He remembered, with relief, that something had woke him and he concentrated on that. The focus helped him forget his unpleasant memories. He looked around at the cell. There was no one here. No rats. And it hadn't been the wind jingling the chains on the wall – no breeze found its way into these dark quarters. So what was it?

He _had_ heard something, right?

Probably just the dumb fetcher across the hall. The dark elf had taunted him when he'd first arrived and seemed to really get a kick out of it. It had a familiar feel, though... he was certain that Dunmer had been here the last time he was thrown in prison.

He was always getting thrown in prison. He'd get drunk, pick a fight, and then get hauled away to the slammer where he'd stay for a few days until they'd finally let him go, with a promise that he wouldn't do it again.

He was practically on a first name basis with the Imperial Prison guards... if they'd tell him their names. Which they didn't.

He sighed, stood and went to the door. There were no guards in sight and the rude Dunmer in the other cell was pacing, muttering to himself.

Great. Other than the muttering Dunmer, he was alone. Borrrrring! He preferred when there were guards. There was a woman in particular that he liked to harass. He hoped she'd be the next on duty.

"Finally awake I see, eh, Imperial?"

Crap. The Dunmer had finally noticed him.

"Well, it's about time," the Dunmer continued. "All that _snoring_ was starting to give me a headache!"

He knew the Dunmer was lying. He didn't snore.

"Although, I'm sure my headache is nothing compared to what you must be feeling right now. Oh, yes! Last night when the guards dragged you in, you were so sodden with mead that just the smell of you was making _me_ tipsy! But I'm sure the guards will relieve you of your pain – when they remove your head!"

His head jerked up and he glared at the Dunmer. What in Oblivion was the mer talking about?

"That's right. You're going to die, Imperial! You're going to die! Imperial criminal scum like you give the Empire a bad name, you see. You're an embarrassment. Best if you just... disappeared."

Then it came back to him. Oh gods...

He remembered. It was vague, like trying to recall a dream even as it faded. But he remembered the fight. The guard. And the blood on his hands.

The headache slammed into him full force then and he felt he might throw up. He closed his eyes and rested his forehead against the cold iron bars, grabbing them to keep himself from toppling over. He had been thrown in prison so many times before and always been released within a few days. Not this time.

This time he was here to stay.

Or maybe he _would_ be put to death like the mer said. Either way, he deserved it. A fitting punishment for someone who... did what he did.

The Dunmer, either apathetic to or ignorant of his internal turmoil, continued to heckle him. "Hey, you hear that? The guards are coming... for you! He he he he he he!"

With another glare thrown at the Dunmer, he strained to hear whatever the mer heard. Someone _was_ coming. Multiple someones it sounded like. The voices sounded... concerned. One, he knew, did not belong to any of the guards. It was a rich voice, full of authority, with the ability to be soft and soothing or razor sharp. The voice of one in charge.

His curiosity piqued, he strained harder to make out the words that were being spoken.

"No, they're dead. I know it."

Then a woman's voice, heavily accented. Most likely a Breton. "My job right now is to get you to safety."

"I know this place... the prison?" The authoritative voice again.

"Yes, Your Majesty. Beneath the Legion Compound. We're headed for a secret passage known only to the Blades. No one can follow us through here."

Shock registered on both his face and the Breton's as she stopped in front of his cell. She blinked in confusion, then became immediately upset.

"What's this prisoner doing here? This cell is supposed to be off-limits," she said, clearly irritated.

"Usual mix-up of the Watch, I..." a male Imperial stuttered.

"Nevermind," the woman cut him off. "Get that gate open. Stand back, prisoner! We won't hesitate to kill you if you get in our way."

Wow. He wasn't thrilled about being executed for his crime, but being struck down because he refused to move aside for these people seemed like a shameful and terribly embarrassing ending.

The Imperial man wasted no time in giving him a command even though he was already stepping back. "You! Prisoner! Stand aside. Over by the window. Stay out of the way and you won't get hurt."

As if they really had to tell him twice. Besides, he was too interested in what was going on to get himself killed now. He did as they commanded and placed himself near the wall directly under the window.

The guard unlocked the cell door and marched into his cell with the Breton, an old man, and another Blade, a Redguard man, close on his heels.

"Stay put, prisoner."

He grimaced. The word 'prisoner' had never before held such weight. The Breton woman was talking again and he turned his attention to her.

"...not out of this yet," she was saying. She marched through his cell with confidence, a warrior who was very sure of herself and her abilities. And certainly not afraid of the man cowering in the corner. Cowering? Was he? Just in case that's what it looked like he was doing, he straightened up. Now his posture was perfectly rigid. He was certain he looked nervous now. But then why _shouldn't_ he look nervous? He was in prison, likely scheduled for execution, and a group of Imperial guards were tromping through his cell – an event he felt he should not be witnessing.

He didn't have long to think about it, though, before the elderly man, decadently dressed, stopped in front of him. Surprise flashed briefly in the old man's eyes and faded just as quickly as he addressed him.

"You... I've seen you. Let me see your face..."

The man came within an arm's reach of him and if he thought he might have looked nervous before, now he knew he _really_ looked nervous; shifting his weight and fidgeting.

"You are the one from my dreams..."

Uhm, okay, yeah, really weird and... disturbing.

"Then the stars were right and this is the day. Gods give me strength!"

Not feeling that he had any right to question this man of authority, but desperately wanting answers, he chanced the question anyway.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"Assassins attacked my sons and I am next. My Blades are leading me out of the city along a secret escape route. By chance, the entrance to that escape route leads through your cell," the man answered. There seemed to be an air of trust about the man. Why he would trust a prisoner with this information made no sense. Maybe he was going senile...

The next question flew out of his mouth before he could stop it. "Who are you?" The answer was obvious and he berated himself inwardly for his stupidity.

But that old extravagant man answered him without a hint of ridicule; a shocking response for a noble.

"I am your Emperor, Uriel Septim. By the grace of the gods, I serve Tamriel as her ruler. You are a citizen of Tamriel and you, too, shall serve her in your own way." The emperor smiled at him. He felt that should have given him at least a small degree of hope, but it made him unexplainably uncomfortable instead. His head was starting to spin again.

"I go my own way," he told the Emperor, closing his eyes and putting a hand to his forehead. Swaying on his feet, he wondered if he might actually pass out.

"So do we all," the emperor said. "But what path can be avoided whose end is fixed by the almighty gods?"

"Wait!" he cried out as the emperor turned to leave.

The emperor complied, turning to look back at him with a grandfatherly gaze, full of patience despite the hurry he and his guards seemed to be in.

The brilliant question he was going to ask vanished under the old man's gaze. Instead, he heard himself ask the stupidest question he could've asked the emperor. Aside from the 'who are you' question, of course. Which he'd already asked. He was beginning to feel this day could be going better.

"Why am I in jail?"

"Perhaps the gods have placed you here so that we may meet. As for what you have done... it does not matter." With a quirk of a smile the emperor continued. "That is not what you will be remembered for."

With that the Emperor and his guards disappeared into a tunnel in the wall.

 _Wait a minute!_ he thought. _A tunnel?_ When had _that_ happened?! He decided his mind was much foggier than usual. After all, how could he have missed a secret tunnel opening up right next to him if he wasn't? He rubbed a hand over his face while he thought about the emperor's words. _'That is not what you will be remembered for.'_ What did he mean by that? He was beginning to think the old man had finally cracked. Emperor Uriel Septim was supposed to be a very sharp and wise man, but it seemed his last words may have been based on pure insanity.

As he thought, he stared at the hole in the wall. The hole... In the wall. Mighty Stendarr! He could escape! Did he deserve to be in this cell? Most certainly. Did he want to stay in this cell? Absolutely not. He baulked for a moment, pondering whether or not this might be a trick that the fates had laid before him. It seemed too good to be true. He did not usually get this kind of luck.

Whatever. He was going for it. He rushed at the tunnel only to stop short as a mean idea popped into his head. With a wicked little smile he stalked back to the cell door.

"Hey! Mer!" he called out to the cell across from him. "Looks like I'll be keeping my head for a while longer! Don't worry; I'll write to let you know what it's like out in the free world."

Grinning wildly, he dashed back to the tunnel under a constant rain of curses and threats from the Dunmer. He ignored them all. They were pretty meaningless to him since he figured the mer wasn't going to get out.

He careened down the tunnel, lost his balance and slammed into the wall. Maybe he should slow down. It wasn't like he had somewhere to be. He wasn't even sure he could go home once he got out. Soon enough the guards would notice he was gone and they would be watching his apartment. They may have already gone to his place to empty it of all his belongings. Freeing it up for another tenant. It was possible that all this fuss with the emperor and his sons might have the Guard busy for awhile and that they might not bother with him at all. But he wouldn't count on it. He decided he would worry about all that later. Right now he needed to pay attention to where he was going. He didn't feel the pain in his head that he knew was still there – he had managed to push the pain back again – but he also knew he wasn't thinking as clearly as he should.

"Okay," he breathed to himself, "slow down, stay upright." He panted, leaning against the wall. Putting his hand over his racing heart, he frowned. He'd barely run at all... why did he feel so winded? It was very unlike him. Although, he decided, he usually didn't _run_ from anything. But he was a fighter and used to exerting himself. Deciding not to worry about it right then, he pushed away from the wall and continued down the tunnel.


	2. Chapter 2: He Wanted That Katana

The tunnel sloped downhill until it came to a right-hand turn. The slope evened out and his eyebrows shot up in surprise when he looked around. There was no more rough-cut tunnel; it was all stone walls and Imperial architecture. This "tunnel" was actually more of a rectangular room with a staircase in the center, running down and to the left. The only way to go.

Crouching low, he scurried along quickly, trying to be quiet, feeling not very much unlike an overly large rat. The guards and emperor would be ahead of him, but he didn't know just how far. He didn't think they'd appreciate him following. As if summoned by his thoughts, he heard the sounds of the guards from up ahead. The hairs on the back of his neck bristled when his ears recognized the sound of fighting. Yells of "For the emperor!" and the ring of clashing swords echoed in the cavernous hall.

Peeking around a corner revealed to him a fight between the Emperor's Blades and some mysteriously armored figures. In a matter of seconds, the armored ones were all slain. Their armor vanished into thin air and left the corpses clothed in red robes. He heard one of the guards muttering something.

Then the emperor spoke. His voice was soft, but easily heard as he wasn't standing very far away. "Captain Renault?"

A Blade answered, "She's dead."

The Blades pressed the emperor to move on.

He watched from the shadows as one Blade led the emperor away. But the other didn't move. The Redguard cocked his head as though listening.

 _He knows I've followed them,_ he thought. How does he know? He did something then that had all the potential to be the stupidest thing he'd ever done in his life. He stepped out into the view of the Blade. And walked toward him.

The guard watched him with dark, intent eyes.

.

He stopped a few feet in front of the guard.

"You stay here, prisoner," the guard said. "Don't try to follow us."

He said nothing. Just stared at the guard, wondering if the Blade was really serious. Why would he stay here? In a hall full of dead people? With no food. And no water. He was beginning to think everyone in the White Gold Tower was cracked. He certainly wasn't going to crawl back to his cell.

The Blade grunted, gave him a knowing nod, turned on his heel and left. As soon as the Blade was gone he turned to the dead bodies. Something inside him – survival instinct, maybe – told him he needed a weapon and the dead captain's body was the most obvious place to look.

He was right. Renault's body was lying spreadeagled on the stairs, but her hand still tightly grasped her sword. He gently pried her still warm fingers from the hilt and decided searching her for other useful items wouldn't be completely out of line. He found a steel short sword on her hip and took that as well.

He had just strapped the sword belt and scabbards onto his own hip when he heard squeaking. Frowning, he turned curiously towards the sound – just in time for a giant rat to leap at his face.

"Whoa!" he shouted in surprise. His quick reflexes had him knocking the rat away before it struck. They were not, however, quick enough for him to unsheath a sword before the rat recovered and bit into his shin. He howled in pain, fumbling to pull out the larger of the dead captain's swords.

Now there were two rats leaping, biting, and clawing at him. Angry at the thought of escaping prison only to be eaten alive by a couple of rats, he found the warrior within and swiftly disposed of the feral rodents. He held a defensive stance for a moment, waiting for more rats. But no more came and he relaxed.

This sword he had was fantastic. He held it up to study it in the light. It wasn't just any sword – it was a katana. There was a special way to use a katana; it wasn't all hack and slash like a normal weapon.

He looked at the dead rats. In his panic, he must've gotten pretty lucky with his swings.

He didn't put the weapon away as he searched the bodies of the mysteriously robed figures. Satisfied at finding some potions of healing and a Potion of Respite he hurried to the door the emperor and guards had disappeared through.

Locked.

 _Son of a..._ They'd locked the door?! Now the guard's 'stay here' command seemed to be a kind of sick joke. Of course he'd stay here – because they had _locked him in!_

He scowled at the door, wondering how long it would take to break it down. Too long, he decided. He wasn't patient enough for that. Glancing around for another exit, he nearly whooped for joy when he saw a hole broken out of a nearby wall... and discovered more underground passage beyond.

At least it looked like more passage to him. Only one sure way to find out. Stepping through the broken stone wall, he realized it wasn't so much a tunnel passageway as it was an underground room. It didn't matter to him, as long as it led him out. And he could hardly believe what good fortune he had when he came across armor and weapons, apologizing to the skeleton he took the gear from.

Once he had collected everything in the room that interested him, he ran back out to the door the Blade had locked. No problem now! He had just found some lockpicks. He used them. And he broke every...

...single...

...one.

Blast. There had been a rusty old war axe in a chest – maybe he could chop his way through. Ugh. The long way that he hadn't wanted to do. He didn't have a choice now. As he returned to the side room to retrieve the heavy weapon, he did a double take at a wooden door on the other side of the room. Being hopeful, he rushed to the door. It too was locked. Curse it all! He didn't want to hack the door down!

As he turned away his eyes fell on the dead goblin shaman lying a few feet away. Hm. He hadn't searched it. Mostly because goblins stink. Dead ones even more so. Not wanting his hands to reek of dead goblin, but also wanting to collect anything that might help him, he checked out the dead body. Potion, lockpicks, key... An interesting item for a goblin to have. His eyes widened. _No way._

He jumped up and tried the key in the locked door.

 _Snick!_ It worked! Praising every god he could think of, and even a few daedra, just in case, he hurried through the doorway. Encountering mostly rats and goblins – _is that a zombie?!_ – he followed the dim passageways, lit mostly by shafts of daylight coming down through holes in the dirt above. He made it through the tunnels fairly quickly, gathering the odd item here and there, until finally he opened a door and entered a room with a hole in the wall. It was the only way out of the room, other than the way he came. Through the hole he could see more of the Imperial subterrane. Peering out of the hole, he realized it was far up the wall of the adjoining chamber. Once he went through he wouldn't be able to get back up.

His headache had worn off and fighting the feral underground creatures had his adrenaline pumping. He felt good and seeing the Imperial structure around him didn't lessen his hope that he might be near the end of his escape route. His day had been spectacularly lucky so far. Without a second thought he dropped down into the next chamber, realizing too late that he was hearing voices.

"...protect the emperor until help arrives," a familiar voice was saying.

Oh crap. It was Emperor Septim and his Blades again! Somehow all those crazy goblin caverns led him right back to the emperor's "secret" escape route. He wondered how many goblins _they_ had had to fight.

"Help? What makes you think help will get here before more of those bastards?" said the other guard, clearly frustrated.

Quickly yet cautiously, he crept forward. He was still above the main chamber floor, on an imperial-built ledge. From here he spied on the men down below, hoping they wouldn't look up and see him.

"We need to get the emperor out of here," the second Blade continued. But he wasn't even done speaking before more of the mysterious attackers showed up.

Not being sure if he would be able to make it out of this subterrane on his own without more keys, he decided to take his chances with the guards. Hoping that fighting alongside them would persuade them that he was not a threat, he hopped down to join the fray between the attackers and the Blades.

Too late. The guards hewed down the last attacker in seconds. Raising his eyebrows, he nodded approvingly. Wow. These guys were efficient!

The Imperial guard turned around, eyes growing wide for a second. The guard swore.

"It's that prisoner again!" the Imperial shouted, coming toward him and drawing his own katana. "Kill him. He might be working with the assassins."

He gulped, starting to panic. Stupid attackers! They all died too quick and ruined his plan!

"No! He is not one of them," the emperor said. "He can help us. He _must_ help us."

He didn't know what the emperor meant by this nor did he particularly care. All that mattered to him was that this caused the guard to stop his advancement and sheath his sword.

"As you wish, sire."

"Come closer," the emperor commanded. "I prefer not to have to shout."

Casting a wary glance at the Blades as he passed them, he did as the emperor bade.

"They cannot understand why I trust you," the emperor told him.

Honestly, he couldn't understand that either.

"They've not seen what I've seen," Emperor Septim continued. "How can I explain? Listen. You know the Nine? How They guide our fates with an invisible hand?"

Yeah, sure, he knew the Nine. He even prayed to a few of Them sometimes. But he wasn't sure he was on the best of terms with Them. And this current situation had him a bit confused as to what he should really believe about Them. So he just said, "I don't know. I don't think about it." Immediately he wondered if the gods would punish him for lying.

The emperor seemed a little disappointed in his answer.

"I've served the Nine all my days and I chart my course by the cycles of the heavens," Emperor Septim explained. "The skies are marked with numberless sparks, each a fire and every one a sign. I know these stars well and I wonder... which sign marked your birth?"

He didn't quite understand how the stars could help him, but he answered his emperor truthfully.

"The signs I read show the end of my path," said the emperor. "My death, a necessary end, will come when it will come."

Wait... the emperor was going to _die?_ If his stars told him that... He suddenly became _very_ interested in the star signs.

"What about me?" he asked nervously.

"Your stars are not mine," the emperor smiled at him. The emperor then told him something nice about his sign but, he didn't really care about that... he just wanted to know if he was going to die anytime soon. He really wasn't ready to face that yet, but Emperor Septim sounded as though _he_ was.

"Aren't you afraid to die?" he asked, astounded.

"No trophies of my triumphs precede me. But I have lived well and my ghost shell rest easy," the emperor responded. "Men are but flesh and blood. They know their doom, but not the hour. In this I am blessed to see the hour of my death. ...To face my apportioned fate, then fall."

The answer unsettled him, even though the emperor looked completely at peace.

"Can you see my fate?" he asked.

"My dreams grant me no opinion of success. Their compass ventures not beyond the doors of death." The emperor's keen blue eyes shone with excitement as he continued, "But in your face, I behold the sun's companion. The dawn of Akatosh's bright glory may banish the coming darkness! With such hope, and with the promise of your aid, my heart must be satisfied."

Well, that was a bit cryptic. Since this _was_ his emperor, he did his best not to scowl or demand a straight answer. He had no idea what "aid" he was supposed to give and assumed it meant he was supposed to help these people out of this place. All right, he could do that. Not that they appeared to need help, from what he'd seen. But he was anxious to get out of the tunnels so he'd do as they asked. Who could tell the emperor "no"anyway?

He sniffed; nodded. "Where are we going?"

The emperor's face fell. "I go to my grave. A tongue shriller than all the music calls me. You shall follow me yet for a little while, then we must part."

With that, the emperor turned and followed the Imperial Blade through a doorway. He stood staring after them and the Redguard Blade came up to stand beside him.

"You may as well make yourself useful," said the guard. "Here, carry this torch and stick close."

He frowned, taking the proffered torch. How many torches had he seen laying around down here? And he just realized he hadn't picked up a single one. There had been enough light along the way that he hadn't thought it would be necessary.

The Redguard introduced himself as Baurus and explained that the Blades were the emperor's bodyguards. Baurus started after the others, telling him once again to stick close. Then his tone softened and he said, "You'll be all right."

As he trailed after Baurus, he thought about how he himself was sort of the emperor's bodyguard now too. If the other guards fell he would undoubtedly be expected to give his life to protect the emperor. While the thought that this could happen made his stomach woozy, he preferred that ending as opposed to the one he may have received as a prisoner. As a murderer.

As he was daydreaming about a dramatic heroic sacrifice to save the emperor, the real bodyguards began yelling.

He drew the short sword and threw it up in front of his face to block an incoming attack from an armored attacker. The swiftness and ferocity of his assailant surprised him, and he staggered back under the blow. Up close the mysterious attackers were frightening. Aside from the strange silvery armor, they wore red head coverings and silver masks that with the smooth nose-piece running up the face and ending in a long spike on top. Staring into the soulless black eyes of the mask, he could feel fear rising in his gut. This guy was strong and quick, while his own reflexes still seemed to be lagging. He had fought off the rats and goblins of the caverns just fine, but they hadn't fought like this guy... this guy had purpose.

The strange warrior swung his sword at him again and again he blocked, their swords locking. The attacker had noticed his panicked hesitancy and took advantage, shoving him back against the chamber wall.

He couldn't see the face behind the full-face mask, but he could imagine it was snarling at him. He didn't appreciate this assumed snarling figure pressing on him like such, with the sword threatening to cleave his skull when his strength gave out. In a brief moment of clarity, he knew what to do to get out of this.

Drawing upon all of his strength, he pushed his opponent's sword to one side, stepping the opposite direction simultaneously. With the quickest move he had made all day, he sliced through what he hoped was an unprotected neck beneath the red fabric of the headdress.

The sickening sound was all the proof he needed.

Baurus was running toward him, having already disposed of his own attacker, skidding to a halt as he watched the attacker hit the floor.

He nodded to Baurus, feeling a touch lightheaded. This feeling was strange. He shook his head to try and clear it, unsuccessfully, and followed after the Blades and Emperor as they continued on.

To him the attack had been severely unexpected and that, he hated to admit, had scared him. So he tried to keep his ears and eyes open for anything that might be indications of another surprise attack. However, he didn't have to worry about it as the Blade up front called out in warning. Baurus ran ahead yelling at him, "Prisoner, the emperor needs help!"

He dashed ahead trying to get back into a fighter's frame of mind. He had the advantage now of knowing their weak spot. Out of the shadows a silver and red figure appeared, running straight towards the emperor's exposed back, as the emperor fought off an attacker on his own.

With a yell of exertion, he surged forward and jumped in the path of the oncoming attacker. He didn't waste time this time. He traded a few blows with the attacker before deftly cutting him down. He spun around to see that the rest of the attackers were down.

"You handled yourself pretty well," Baurus told him, breathing heavy from fighting.

He shrugged as if this kind of thing were an every day occurrence. He checked the bodies for more potions and wasn't disappointed to find more healing potions.

The Blades and Emperor were going through another door and he hurried to catch up.

"Hold up," said the Imperial once they were through. "I don't like this. Let me take a look."

The guard walked ahead looking around.

He looked around too, not knowing what had the guard so worried. This chamber looked like any other stonework room he'd been in down here. Thick stone supports upheld the ceiling on either side of a central staircase that led down. Of course, the Blade was probably familiar with the passageway, seeing as it was a secret escape route meant strictly for the emperor and he was one of the emperor's bodyguards. Someone would have been assigned to do routine stability checks and to maintain it.

Secret escape route. Ha. Supposedly secret. Obviously it wasn't as secret as they wanted it to be. How had those attackers gotten in here?

"Glenroy," the emperor said quietly.

He hadn't expected the emperor to speak to him. The word didn't make sense to him so he asked, "Pardon?"

"Glenroy," the emperor repeated, nodding to the Blade scouting ahead. "A fine soldier. Loyal to a fault."

He just nodded. He didn't really care what the guard's name was, but he was thrilled that the emperor, _his_ emperor, talked to him. It almost made him feel that he was someone special too.

Finally the Imperial, Glenroy, called back to say it looked clear and waved them forward. The next door they came to, however, was barred from the other side, sending Glenroy into a fit.

"A trap!" Glenroy practically shouted.

"What about that side passage back there?" Baurus asked, an undercurrent of anxiety tainting his voice.

"Worth a try," said Glenroy. "Let's go."

They all headed back to the other passage and he fell into step with the emperor. Glancing sidelong at the emperor, he noticed how he seemed completely calm during all this. His face was relaxed and his manner openly friendly. There may have been a tense stiffness to his gait, but the layers of his luxurious apparel made it hard to tell.

He quite envied the emperor for his acceptance of death. He wished he could find the same acceptance. Maybe when he was eighty years old, he would.

In front of him Baurus stopped so suddenly he almost ran into him.

"It's a dead end," stated Baurus grimly. "What's your call, sir?"

Quickly taking stock of the room, he realized Baurus was right. It was a small, fully-enclosed, stone walled room.

Glenroy's face distorted in rage and he yelled out, "They're behind us! Wait here, Sire." Before he knew it, Glenroy was charging back the way they had come shouting a battle cry. "Oblivion take you!"

Baurus turned to him, katana already drawn. "Stay with the emperor. Guard him with your life," he said before running off with his own battle cry.

Preparing himself for a battle with the masked attackers, he turned to face the entry and was about to place himself in the archway so they would be forced to fight him one-on-one, but the emperor stopped him. Spinning him around to face him, the emperor said, "I can go no further."

This was a different emperor. He spoke quickly and his tone had changed, carrying an extreme urgency that made the hairs on the back of his neck tickle with anxiety. A forbidding feeling settled in his guts. He didn't like this.

"You alone must stand against the Prince of Destruction and his mortal servants," Emperor Septim continued. "He must not have the Amulet of Kings! Take the Amulet. Give it to Jauffre. He alone knows where to find my last son." The emperor took his empty hand and shoved a large red-stoned amulet into it. "Find him, and close shut the jaws of Oblivion."

So many questions to ask! And no time for any of them. The emperor suddenly grabbed him by the shoulders and pushed him aside. Caught off-guard by the sudden and very un-grandfatherly like move, he didn't have the time to turn around. The unseen attacker killed the emperor as easily as he had killed the rats.

"NO!" he yelled. Coming to his senses he leaped forward, sword ready, and was joined by Baurus, who had heard the yell.

Together they sent the masked murderer to the afterlife.

He stood panting, partially from the exertion, partially from anger. He had been so distracted by the emperor's final little speech that he hadn't heard the secret passage opening behind him in the wall. Hadn't noticed the attacker about to hew him down. He was supposed to give his life for the emperor, but instead the emperor had saved his life. He felt his face flush red with shame. Something was wrong with him. He had felt strange all day. He usually had an uncanny survival instinct, but today it had seemed...off. He needed to find out what was wrong with himself, and find out fast.

Baurus was stooped over the emperor's body, a sorrowful look on his face. Standing up, he turned to him.

"We've failed," said Baurus, tears shining in his dark eyes. " _I've_ failed. …The Blades are sworn to protect the emperor, and now he and all his heirs are dead."

A sudden realization dawned in Baurus' eyes and they widened in panic. "The Amulet!" he cried. "Where's the Amulet of Kings? It wasn't on the emperor's body."

Realizing how this might look, he was tempted to not say anything. But seeing as the Amulet was giant and hard to hide in the palm of his hand, he decided it would seem less suspicious to just tell the truth."The emperor gave it to me."

"Strange," Baurus said. "He saw something in you. Trusted you."

The Blade believed him. He almost laughed in relief. But Baurus was still talking so he deemed that bad manners and snapped his attention back to what the Blade was saying.

"They say it's the Dragon Blood," Baurus continued, "that flows through the veins of every Septim. They see more than lesser men. The Amulet of Kings is a sacred symbol of the Empire. Most people think of the Red Dragon Crown, but that's just jewelry. The Amulet has power. Only a true heir of the Blood can wear it they say. He must have given it to you for a reason. Did he say why?"

"I must take it to Jauffre," he said simply, trying to recollect if he knew any Jauffres.

"Jauffre? He said that? Why?" Now Baurus sounded suspicious.

He shrugged. "There is another heir."

Suspicion gone from his voice, Baurus said, "Nothing I ever heard about. But Jauffre would be the one to know. He's the Grandmaster of my Order. Although you may not think so to meet him. He lives quietly as a monk at Weynon Priory, near the city of Chorrol."

Hm. He wasn't sure he'd ever been to Chorrol. "How do I get there?"

"First," Baurus said, "you need to get out of here. Through that door must be the entrance to the sewers, past the locked gate. That's where we were heading. It's a secret way out of the Imperial City. Or it was supposed to be secret."

Baurus reached into a small pouch at his side, hidden beneath his heavy armor. "Here," he said, handing over an iron key. "You'll need this key for the last door into the sewers."

"The sewers?" An awful place to have an escape route. Yuck. Who would want to go through there?... Although, now that he was thinking about it, what better place to plan an escape route than someplace no one would want to go. Brilliant.

"There are rats and goblins down there... but from what I've seen of you, I'm guessing you are an experienced Bard. Am I right?"

Was this guy joking? He had to be joking. Is that what he looked like? A lute-toting dagger wielder? He obviously needed a new look.

With a bit of a defeated look he told the Blade, "I'm a bit of a Rogue, actually."

"Really? I would never have guessed."

Seriously?! He needed to get away from this guy. This guy was unbelievable. A Bard... Psh!

"Still," the guard continued, "I don't think you'll have any problem with rats and goblins."

Of _course_ he wouldn't. He'd already fought those today. Resisting the urge to punch the Redguard, he asked, "After the sewers, then what?"

"You must get the Amulet to Jauffre. Take no chances, but proceed to Weynon Priory immediately. Got it?"

Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, he answered sarcastically, "No. Please explain more." In his mind though, he was wondering if this was what the emperor had meant by his statement that he "must help" them. Perhaps the emperor had seen him taking the Amulet to Jauffre.

Baurus didn't seem to catch the sarcasm. He tried to reassure him saying calmly, "Take it easy. You'll be fine. I know this is a lot to take in all at once. No one's more surprised than me that I'm sending an escaped prisoner off with the Amulet of Kings! But the emperor trusted you for a reason, and I trust the emperor. The Amulet of Kings must get to Jauffre at Weynon Priory. He'll know what to do with it. Jauffre should know how to find the heir the emperor spoke of. The Amulet must reach Emperor Uriel's heir so a new emperor can be crowned!"

"What about you? What will you do?" he asked curiously.

"I'll stay here to guard the emperor's body and make sure no one follows you. You'd better get moving. May Talos guide you."

Just as he was about to turn away, Baurus quickly said, "By the way, thanks for recovering Captain Renault's sword. I'll see that it is given a place of honor in the halls of the Blades."

Baurus held his hand out expectantly.

What a jerk... He had been hoping to keep the katana. He'd practiced using it on the rats and goblins through most of the tunnels and was excited by the thought of becoming proficient in using it. That dream was dashed as he unattached the scabbard and handed it over.

Wordlessly, he left Baurus standing guard over the emperor. Glancing at Glenroy, standing in the doorway and staring at the emperor's body with a bewildered expression, he gave a curt nod when their eyes met for a second.

And then he was through the secret passage and entering the sewers.

Thankfully, he didn't have far to go through the sewers. The tunnel was very conveniently located across from the stairs to the sewer exit. The few goblins and rats he had to deal with were nothing after fighting all those mysterious fighters. In no time at all he was standing at the gate to the sewer exit, breathing in the fresh air and tasting the freedom.


	3. Chapter 3: A Turn For the Worse

Dawn was just breaking as he swung open the iron gate in a hillside sewer entrance and stepped out into the Cyrodiil countryside. Before him the moat-like lake was almost glassy calm and the land beyond was peacefully silent and dark, except for a faint aqua glow from the Ayleid ruin across the water, on the near shore. A short wooden dock stuck out into the water in front of him, but appeared pretty useless to him, as there was no boat tied to it.

Stepping away from the sewer entrance, he breathed in a deep breath of the clean, fresh air and looked for the best direction to head in now that he was free. Lake...more lake...land that dead ended at yet more lake...

There was a distinct disadvantage to being an escapee from a prison built on an island. It left him only two options. One, start walking to the main crossing point; a big bridge leading straight from the main city gate to the mainland. Or two, swim across the lake. Considering the fact that he was wearing armor, he decided the latter wasn't the best option.

His mind made up, he began looking around for the best path to take across the hilly island. It didn't take him too long to figure out. There was a dirt path leading up the hillside. Excellent! He followed the zig-zagging path, pausing briefly to look skyward.

The stars were still shining faintly in the lightening sky. He saw the Warrior constellation watching him from its place in the heavens and he stared right back. The conversation he had had with Emperor Septim came back to him and he suppressed a shiver. He began walking again, sending a wary sidelong glance at the Warrior. That wasn't his sign and he had no interest in looking for his own sign. He didn't care if it was still shining brightly at this hour or not.

That's what he told himself, anyway. In actuality, he was afraid. Afraid the stars would have already acquiesced to the sun, and he was worried about what that might mean for him.

Pushing the thought aside, he turned his mind instead to thinking about where to go and what to do once he got there. He went through several scenarios in his head before giving up and deciding to just wing it.

The path he was following led him up to the circular prison wall, perched at the top of the hill, and around to the Imperial Prison entrance gate. Pausing a decent distance from the gates, he considered his next action carefully.

The Imperial Legion Compound was not contained within the Imperial City's walls. Instead, it was separated by a short bridge leading over a steep and narrow valley, from the compound's gates to the gates of the city's Market District. Bridges like this were the main connection between the city and several of the city's districts which were located outside the city's walls. There were four of them: one to the Arcane University, one to the Imperial Prison, one to the Waterfront District, and one leading to the Cyrodiil mainland.

The wall surrounding the prison didn't connect to the stone bridge rail leaving it open for him to cross if he wished. And even if it did connect, the rail was low enough he could've gotten over it easily enough anyway. But he wasn't sure crossing the bridge from the direction of the prison would be completely innocuous. He didn't know if there were guards posted on duty outside the gates to the city, but he knew there were guards on the inside of the gate, in the Market District, and they would be quite suspicious of someone entering that had not previously passed them going the other direction. Especially when that someone was still wearing his filthy prison rags.

Looking down into the valley he noticed a cobblestone path running its length. He wasn't entirely sure where the path went... but he deduced that heading westward along it would take him right around to the front of the city. Right to the main city isle bridge leading off to the rest of Cyrodiil.

However wonderful the thought of just running away would be, he felt that if he was going to journey to Chorrol, he should at least have a few supplies with him. He'd just have to hope that the Imperial Watch would be too busy trying to control all the chaos that rumors of the emperor's death might have caused to notice him.

His mind being made up, he slipped down the steep slope to the pathway below. The path dipped down and eastward and he was blessed with the sun shining right in his face as it broke over the horizon. It wasn't in his eyes for long, however, as the road swung south and followed along the great wall of the city itself. Out here in the fresh air, with the pale pink and blue sky and birds singing their wake up songs, he could almost forget that there had been a battle within these walls. He paused to enjoy the view of the lake and mountains beyond, their pale, calm visage the perfect scene of tranquility. It was truly one of the most beautiful sights he had seen in a long time.

For some strange reason the sight reminded him of the Amulet he was carrying. Frowning, he pulled it from the coin purse he had stuffed it into. It had barely fit. He held it up, squinting at it. It was a thing of beauty too, probably worth a fortune; a thief's dream. It was diamond shaped, with a gold frame inset with eight stones of various colors, and held within the frame the largest red jewel he had ever seen. Roughly fist sized, it was also the heaviest jewel he'd ever held. Deciding it would be easier to pickpocket from his coin purse than from around his neck, he tried putting it on.

It fell off.

Thinking he hadn't done the clasp right he tried again and again the Amulet slid down his chest, the ends of the gold chain dangling freely. He frowned at it, studying the clasp. There didn't appear to be anything wrong with it... Once more he tried. This time he heard a faint _snick_ as the clasp came undone and fell from his neck to his waiting hand. Hm. Baurus had said that only an heir of the true Blood could wear it. Apparently he was right. With a shrug, he began stuffing the Amulet back into his coin purse, feeling satisfaction as it seemed to house an internal fire when it caught the light of the morning sun. It glinted brightly, as if winking... or screaming, before disappearing into the bag.

As he continued on, he came over a rise, startling a pair of deer. He didn't feel too bad about it as they bounded lightly across the path, following it for a moment before gracefully leaping down the hill on the other side. They had startled him just as much. But he recovered faster.

After passing under the bridge to the Arcane University and being buffeted by the wind as he walked along the ridge road overlooking the Waterfront, finally he came to the intersection with the main road. Glancing longingly at the giant stone entrance of the main bridge, he turned his back on it and hiked up to the gates of the city.

There was only one Imperial Guard standing at the huge double-door gate. With a distrustful glance the guard wordlessly opened one side for him.

He nodded a thanks to the guard as he passed through, holding his breath. Now if only he could get by the guards on the _inside_ he'd be doing great.

He hoped the guards wouldn't pay too much attention to his mismatched, and dreadfully stinky, apparel. Aside from them noticing his sackcloth prison clothes, he was embarrassed about his various pieces of heavy and light armor. He looked like a nutter.

The two Imperial Watch guards were standing in the usual positions, one on either side of the doors, and both turned to him when he entered. He nodded to them, still holding his breath. They, nearly imperceptibly, nodded back and he continued on his way.

When he thought he was far enough away that they wouldn't hear, he let out an explosive relieved sigh. He had thought to head directly to the Market District by going through the concentric circle of wall, but that area housed the palace, White Gold Tower. Likely the place where the emperor's sons had been attacked and the obvious place to double up on security. He'd avoid that area for now. Passing the statue of Akatosh in dragon-form contained in a white circular colonnade, he hung a left and made his way directly to the Elven Gardens District.

He wasted no time there. Although this district is where he had his home, he resisted the urge to go there, just in case it _was_ being watched by the guards. Or in case one was following him now, he didn't want to trap himself there. Those guards at the gate hadn't seemed completely convinced that he was an innocent citizen. It was all this rusty mismatched armor. He just knew it.

Playing it cool, he ignored the Watch guards at the gateways dividing the districts. Maybe if he ignored them like everyone else did he wouldn't seem so suspicious. Upon reaching the Market district he turned immediately to his left and ducked right into an long archway leading out to a plaza. Carefully so as not to be seen, he peered around the corner to see if anyone had been following him. There were a few people passing by, but no one looked at him and no guards were coming after him.

Breathing a sigh of relief, he turned his attention to the stacks of crates lining the passageway wall. Divine Elegance, the clothing store, was right around the corner so he figured some of these crates had to be filled with clothing. This is where he would start. He could just buy clothing like a standard law-abiding citizen, but he thought that the store's owner, Palonira, might not take kindly to his appearance. He did not need someone else reporting him and raising more attention from the Watch.

Finding a crate with a Divine Elegance label, he gripped the lid preparing to open it. Just then his stomach let out a horrendous growl.

Great. Now he was thinking about his stomach. How long had it been since he'd eaten? A whole day he realized. He had found some food in the caverns during his escape, but deemed it questionable and considered it suitable only for potions. Plus he had spent most of the previous day and night fighting, and then had a three-and-a-half hour hike to the city this morning. Definitely in need of some nourishment.

Okay, so maybe he would appease his stomach first and _then_ find some clothing. He went through the arched passage and out into the covered colonnaded plaza. He glanced around noticing that there seemed to be quite a few more people out on the streets than usual, but disregarded it with a grunt. He made his way straight across the plaza, through another passage into a second plaza. Making his way straight for The Feed Bag, he wondered if that was such a good idea.

The Feed Bag was his favorite place to eat and also where he had gotten arrested. He had been avoiding all the places where he might get into trouble, but for some reason found it impossible to avoid this one. An inn was a more appropriate place to eat, and gave him a plausible story in case someone asked – he's just a weary traveler looking for a place to rest and eat.

On the other hand, he had been taken to prison. And no one escaped the Imperial Prison. So no one should suspect it was him coming back to the scene of the crime. Right?

His hand hesitated only a moment on The Feed Bag's door before he pushed it open. He would take his chances.

The smell of fresh baked bread and roasting ham hit his nose as soon as he entered. The sun shone brightly into the room, but through blue-glass windows which buffered the light causing a hazy glow. A few tabletop candles and a small overhead chandelier helped with lighting the rest of the dim room. There weren't very many people eating here this morning, and there was only one person he recognized, which was a good thing. Minimized his chances of being recognized in return.

"Hi there!" the Dunmer proprietor greeted him cheerily. "Put on the feed bag! I'm Delos Fandas. We've got food and drink, and lots of it."

The greeting caused him to grin. "I'm sure you do," he said. "I'll take a good-sized portion of what I'm smelling."

Delos' grin broadened. "Can I interest you in some fresh fruit to go with that? We have a great variety."

"Sure," he replied. "How about one of those apples?" He pointed to a large fruit bowl on the counter top.

"Excellent." Delos motioned to the fruit. "You may choose your apple and I'll be right out with the rest. Anything to drink?"

He opened his mouth to say yes, of course he'd have a drink, but clamped it shut again to reconsider. The last drink he had here did not end well. Until he knew what had gone so terribly wrong, he opted to avoid the ale.

Politely declining the drink, he grabbed an apple and made his way to an empty table, catching a whiff of blackberries as he passed some dining patrons.

Delos delivered his food in quick order and he tried his best not to shovel it down like the starving beggar that he was. While he ate, a few more of the regular patrons came in. They glanced his way and quickly looked away again, probably not because they recognized him, but because they were embarrassed for him and his horrible manners. He had left his helmet on, knowing it would gain him a few extra looks, but hoping it would make him more unrecognizable.

It seemed to work. No one bothered him, he finished eating, and he left just as easily as he came.

The streets were bustling with folk now and even though he would be fine to cross the plaza back the way he came, he felt a need to avoid as much of the crowd as was possible. Leaving The Feed Bag, he went under the last arch passageway and circled around to the road along the outer wall. This road ran behind the shops and therefore was not as busy. He made it all the way back to the first passage with the crates of clothing.

This time his stomach didn't interrupt him and he was free to search through the crate unhindered. Finding a decent pair of pants and a pale blue shirt that suited his tastes, he pulled them from the crate and began taking his gear off. Removing his belt, the coin purse fell off. Muttering to himself to be more careful, he picked it up and set it on top of a crate with his scabbard.

Next he took off all his armor, happy to be free of its weight. It was going to feel so good to be dressed as a normal citizen again! Quickly, he tore off the rough prison garb and pulled the pants on. As he was fastening the last button he heard a sound that made him jump and his blood run cold.

"Nice pants."

He closed his eyes and let out a quiet, if exasperated, sigh. He didn't need to turn around to know who it was. But he turned around to face her anyway.

The female guard from the prison. The one he had liked to pick on.

"Afternoon," he said, inclining his head at her.

She looked at him with a flat stare for what seemed like forever to him. "Put your shirt on," she commanded just as flatly.

For a second he considered asking her which shirt she was referring to, because neither shirt in his current possession were in fact "his". Realizing that this was probably his old habit of annoying her kicking in, he quickly tamped it down. There was a small chance that she might just let him get away with taking the blue shirt. And she hadn't been very specific... Warily, he pulled the pilfered shirt over his head.

"Let's go," she demanded, before the shirt was even settled on his shoulders.

He shook his head mournfully at her. "I can't believe assassins are running rampant and you're out here in the street collecting a minor offender," he said.

" _Murder_ is not a minor offense," she stated, narrowing her eyes at him. He noticed her hand was resting on her still-sheathed sword hilt and her fingers were tightening their grip.

"Yes, well, I think it should be if you didn't know you were doing it," he replied, hurriedly. "I certainly had no intention of killing anyone. And I have _never_ been so drunk to kill anyone before..." Something occurred to him then. "In fact, I've never gotten that drunk on so few drinks before. Ever." He looked at her as if she would understand. The look that she gave him in return was less than reassuring. She looked annoyed, uncertain, and surprised and he thought he saw a glimpse of pity in her deep blue eyes. That almost warmed his heart.

However, her hand stayed where it was and her voice remained cold as she repeated her command.

He sighed heavily. "Just let me grab my effects," he said. But when he turned to the crate where he had set down the coin purse containing the Amulet, he drew up in shock.

It was gone!

But he saw the Khajiiti tail disappearing around the corner.


	4. Chapter 4: Here Khajiit, Khajiit

**A/N: Howdy to anyone who reads this! I apologize for the insanely long wait between the last chapter and this one. I had a technical difficulty that prohibited me from posting (or even typing) my story and then had some serious illness to contend with. But I am back now! And I hope this story continues to amuse. Don't be afraid to let me know how I'm doing! Thanks!**

* * *

It was probably a bad idea to take off running when an Imperial Guard was trying to take him into custody, but he did it anyway. His fear of losing the Amulet was much greater than his fear of the guard. He could hear her call out in surprise and then angrily yelling at him to stop.

Yeah... Not a chance.

There was no way she would believe his story. The only way she would let him go would be to retrieve the Amulet and show her. Show her that he had an important mission from Emperor Uriel Septim himself. The dead emperor. It was likely that she would think he _killed_ the emperor and stole the Amulet. He had a twisted feeling in his gut that this might not be the lucky day he thought it was.

He shoved those thoughts out of his head. Best to worry about all that when he came to it. Right now he just needed to catch the thief – and avoid getting caught by the guard while doing it.

Practically exploding from the alleyway, he came to a skidding halt, before he tumbled into the masses of folk in the plaza. _Was there a celebration going on?_ he wondered. The streets were bustling with people. Unfortunately for him, the whole Khajiit community appeared to be out for a day at the market.

"There aren't this many Khajiit in Elsweyr," he muttered under his breath. He spun quickly in a circle, looking for a suspicious Khajiit, expecting the guard to grab him at any moment.

There! A cloaked Khajiit was hurrying toward the main thoroughfare. He looked at the tail poking out from under the cloak. He was positive that was the same tail he had seen leaving the alley. Wasting no time, he bolted into the throng of citizens.

"Stop! In the name of the emperor!"

The guard's voice rang out through the streets, much too close to him. He had the tickle-y feeling she had just been about to grab him. But he wasn't so panicked to notice everyone's head turn to see what was happening. Everyone except for the cloaked Khajiit he was following. Only the guilty party, who already knew what was going on, would show no curiosity. This was definitely the thief.

Narrowing his eyes at the fleeing Khajiit's back, he increased his pace shoving past a homeless woman pleading to the masses and plowing his way between a Breton couple. They called him some fantastic names, but he didn't hear them. His eyes never left the Khajiit.

The Khajiit was headed toward the Palace District. Inwardly, he groaned. This wasn't good... The Imperial Watch was posted at every gateway in the city. He was going to get caught and he wasn't even the guilty one. Well, not the guilty one trying to run away. He wouldn't have run away from the guard but for the Khajiit.

In an extremely lucky turn, the Watch must have been feeling lazy, as they mostly ignored him as he darted up the steps to the Palace District. They didn't seem to think anything of him barreling after the Khajiit. Obviously they hadn't heard the female guard yelling, or they'd have stopped him.

He was okay with that.

The Khajiit had gone through the wooden gate doors, but hadn't taken the time to completely close the gate behind itself. He slammed into the door with his shoulder, knocking it open. And startling the guards on the other side.

"Careful!" one of them called out.

"Hey! I'd watch it if I were you," the other warned.

Ignoring them both completely, he missed the scowls they gave him.

Hearing the female guard yelling out "You fools!" from the other side of the door got his feet moving the moment he caught movement in the graveyard. The thief was a swift runner and was in and out of sight as it darted behind the many trees and bushes planted throughout the graveyard.

He always thought that the circular graveyard surrounding the White Gold Tower was a beautiful layout, but now he just thought it was stupid. And who thought putting all these rocks and trees and bushes in here was a good idea?! He was starting to run out of breath chasing after the cat-folk and cursed his sudden weakness. Again, he wondered what was wrong with himself. Perhaps the guards had given him something to keep him subdued. After all, it was possible he was going to be executed and if _he_ were the guard he would have wanted the inmate to be drugged. Except that didn't really fit his memory... Not that his memory regarding that fateful night was much to go on. The events were still unclear in his mind, but he didn't think the Watch had time to give him anything before he fell into a nearly comatose state.

Up ahead, the Khajiit made a sharp turn away from the gateway it had been headed toward, drawing him out of his musings. It bolted up the steps to the raised cobblestone pathway and out of his view.

What in Oblivion?! He let out an exasperated cry and sluggishly followed after.

But wait. Why the sudden change in direction? He stopped at the top of the stairs, trying to catch his breath. His eyes stayed on the Khajiit as it disappeared down the steps to Talos Plaza. The thief had been headed toward the Arboretum. Perhaps its plan was to pass through the Arboretum into the Temple District and then down to the Waterfront. That's where all the truly despicable thieves, cutthroats, and pirates resided. If it made it there the possibility of ever finding it again was slim. The citizens of the Waterfront District were tight-lipped enough and when you started snooping around, asking about thieves and the like, they all but ignored you. Some of the unfriendlier types usually screamed at you to go away.

Making up his mind in a split second, he turned on his heel and ran back to the door of the Arboretum. This kitty wanted to play a game, then he'd play a game. But he would play by his rules. That Khajiit had been headed this way and realized too late that he was still following. So it thought it would lead him into the Talos Plaza where it would lose him.

But not today! Today he was _lucky._

And he was going to cut the Khajjit off at the pass. Oh yes, when that cloaked kitty stepped through that Waterfront gate he'd be waiting. And, it dawned on him suddenly, he had left his weapons and armor behind in the alley, so he was going to have to get creative. That was all right, he could –

"HALT right there!"

Oh, Akatosh, could he not have had just a little while longer? He stopped his brisk walk (no wonder she had caught up to him! Why wasn't he running?!) and turned wearily to face the guard.

/

J'Kasha was ecstatic. She was so excited she thought she might leap right out of her fur.

She had been watching the man in rusty iron and worn leather armor; saw as he went into the little alley. And she saw him taking his armor off. Such a strange thing to be doing in town. If it was that uncomfortable then why hadn't he just left it at home? Or in his room at the inn?

Hastily, she decided she didn't care because she had caught sight of the coin purse he dropped. He had noticed he dropped it and picked it up, but that didn't matter either. Because soon enough a guard entered the alley from the side opposite J'Kasha, distracting the man. J'Kasha's keen senses paid attention to everything happening in that alley. She crept closer.

The purse was laying on top of a crate only an arm's length away from the alley entrance. She couldn't have picked an easier target. First, he was dumb enough to lay his coin purse down. Second, he was dumb enough to turn his back on it. And now that he was chasing her she noticed a third reason - he was in a terrible physical state. He was having a hard time keeping up with her.

J'Kasha's mother had always said what a sharp nose she had, and her uncanny sniffer had smelled something funny with that man. Perhaps it was some kind of magic she smelled. But her parents both used magic often and this did not smell the same. And why he would use magic to make himself tired didn't make sense to her either. He looked like an adventurer, so perhaps he had tried to loot an Ayleid ruin and got hit with a magical trap to drain his stamina.

Goodness she hoped so.

Because as much as she wanted to believe she was a natural at thieving, she wasn't. Every time she tried to lift something she had gotten caught. Not actually caught by the Watch or anything, but just noticed by someone. Blessed with an unnatural swiftness, she always managed to make a clean getaway, but always empty handed. It was an embarrassment both to herself and to her parents. Her parents who were both Masters in the Thieves Guild. All she wanted was to be just like them. Maybe if she could pull off this purse-snatching then she would make them a little bit proud. Maybe it would prove to Armand that she _was_ capable of at least simple thievery, enough to get her foot in the door of the Thieves Guild as a Pickpocket.

J'Kasha knew better than to lead this persistent adventurer straight to the Waterfront. Even though she knew all the secret places to hide, she wasn't on good terms with a lot of the citizens living there. They knew her clumsy reputation and many of them found her outright annoying. She wouldn't find reliable shelter there. It was even possible that someone would gladly point her out, in hopes that she would finally learn her lesson and leave thieving to the adept.

Figuring that that was exactly where he would expect a thief to hide out, she had headed in that direction with the intention of hiding out and losing him in the Arboretum or Temple District. But since he was falling behind, she thought she might lose him if she instead quickly diverted from her intended path. Judging Talos Plaza to be busy enough to lose him if he did manage to catch up to her, she bolted up the steps to the road circling the base of the great tower, grinning when she heard him cry out at her unexpected move.

When she got to the Talos gate she risked a glance over her shoulder. His smell had dissipated and she hoped he had given up the chase. The Watch guard opened the gate for her and she entered Talos plaza with a grin that made her cat eyes squint-y.

Her first thought was to head straight for home, but knew that was out of the question. A thief never went straight home for a few reasons. The first reason being if the thief were being followed then the pursuer wouldn't be led directly to the thief's home or hideout. Kind of defeated the purpose of a "hideout." The next reason was because the thief needed to find an appraiser.

J'Kasha knew none of the fences in the Waterfront would help her. But there was one who wasn't usually found in the Waterfront. He would help her.

She made straight for the city's front gate.

/

"I know this looks really bad, but please, just let me explain," he implored, with his hands held up to shoulder height in a gesture of surrender.

The guard's sword was pointed right at his throat and she looked like she would have preferred it was through his throat instead. Her disposition was an unpleasant contrast to the sweetly singing birds in the trees of the Arboretum surrounding them. Snarling at him, she asked, "How could this possibly be anything other than bad? How did you escape the prison?!"

He opened his mouth, closed it again. He needed to word this just right. His glance flicked briefly over her shoulder to the statue of Julianos, god of Wisdom and Logic, and Stendarr, god of Mercy. Some help from them would be nice about now... He knew he couldn't be too defensive otherwise she would just think he was trying to get out of his arrest. He wasn't sure she'd believe the outright truth either, but he figured it was to his credit to tell her only truths.

Slowly he said, "I didn't."

She scoffed giving a derisive little laugh. "Sure could fool me," she said. She looked pointedly around. "This sure doesn't look like the prison to me. And I think I would know what the prison looks like considering I am Imperial Prison _guard._ "

She dug the point of her silver short sword into his neck.

He jerked back quickly, on reflex. He wasn't happy to see a faintly amused smile on her face. "I swear! I was let go," he said, rubbing his neck with one hand. _Stop cowering!_ he told himself. The poke in the neck had gotten him nervous and he could feel his body hunching over and backing away from the guard. Looking at the guard gave him an idea. A way she might believe him.

He stopped his retreat and straightened his back, dropping his hands to his sides. Calmly, he told her, "Baurus let me go."

The smile dropped from her face. All she seemed able to get out was a bewildered, "What?"

"It was Baurus. He told me to get out. Gave me the key, even," he said, eying her carefully. Take the bait take the bait take the bait...

"Show me the key."

Oh come on.

With a sardonic look he told her, "I left the key in the door lock."

"Ah," she breathed, raising her eyebrows. "How convenient for you. Now quit wasting my time. You are coming with me."

"You do know Baurus, right?" he asked, unmoving as she reached for him. "A Redguard. A Blade. Bodyguard to Emperor Uriel Septim?"

She froze mid-reach, glaring at him.

"And one of the two surviving Blades from last night's attempted escape through the sewers."

Her eyes widened.

"Impossible," she murmured, staring up at him. "How could you know that?"

He gave her a lopsided grin. "Maybe I'm not as guilty as I seem."

Frowning, she lowered her sword. "You escaped though. Somehow you got out, but you are an accused killer. If Baurus let you go, as you say, then he must have known that the Watch would continue to do its job. Knew that you would get caught. He was only toying with you." She put her sword back in its scabbard and gave him an arch-brow look. "You have to return to the prison."

"Sorry, Princess, but I've actually got something very important to do," he told her. "A mission from Emperor Septim. Actually, from Baurus. Actually, from both of them now that I'm thinking about it..."

"What are you going on about?" she frowned. "You're delusional. There is no mission. You just think that you're going to..."

He tuned her out. Not knowing if the thief was going to head straight to the Waterfront or hide out for a while, he didn't know how much time he had before he needed to be at the gate. He looked to the sky to judge what time it was. This guard was wasting some serious time.

"Yeah, can we continue this conversation down by the Waterfront?" he interrupted her.

She blinked at him with those beautiful deep blue eyes, confusion and frustration dominating her delicate feminine features...

 _Stop that,_ he chided himself. Now was not the time. Getting distracted by her wasn't going to help him in the least.

Seizing the opportunity her flabbergasted silence provided, he continued. "I told you: I have an important mission. I'm supposed to deliver the Amulet of Kings to Jauffre in Chorrol."

"I don't know who that is," she admitted quietly, her demeanor defeated and very confused.

"He's the Grandmaster of The Blades," he explained. Pretty smug feeling, knowing more than her about this subject. "And he's going to be wondering where that Amulet is."

"Where is the Amulet?" she asked, her tone relapsed back into severe guard mode.

"Stolen. By a Khajiit, when you discovered me in the market."

"A Khajiit?"

"Yeah, Khajiit. You know, fuzzy cat-people. Come from Elsweyr. Don't li-"

"Yes, I know what a Khajiit is, thank you," she said loudly.

"Sorry," he said.

With a huge sigh of resignation, she took a step closer to him. "All right. I don't know why, but I'm choosing to believe you. Which direction was the Khajiit headed? You can describe him to me while we're on our way."

What? Oh... his day just got better. He smiled broadly at her. "You're going to go hunting with me, beautiful?"

She rolled her eyes. "We're not hunting. And for the last time, my name isn't 'Beautiful.'"

"Well, then perhaps you should finally tell me what your real name is... Otherwise this could be a very frustrating day for you," he replied, wiggling his eyebrows at her.

She took a breath, hesitated. "Alina."

"That didn't hurt, did it?"

"A little bit, actually, yes." She motioned him to move. "Let's get going."

As they made their way towards the Waterfront Gate, he described the Khajiit to Alina, expressing his opinion that the thief appeared on the smaller side and so was likely an adolescent.

"And this young Khajiit was headed toward the Waterfront?" Alina asked.

"Yes," he replied.

"You're sure?" she asked.

He huffed an irritated sigh. "Yes. It was headed right for the Arboretum Gate."

"The Arboretum Gate?" Alina frowned. "But that leads to the Arcane University, not the Waterfront. Where did it change course? Where was it headed?"

He tried not to get too frustrated by the doubtfulness in her tone and her second guessing him. He also tried to walk alongside her without wheezing. Her strides were long and he was grateful that she was moving quickly, but she was moving almost _too_ quickly for him to keep up. He started falling behind.

"I was following it through the Palace District graveyards, when it bolted up the steps. I went up the steps and saw it was going to the Talos Plaza Gate. Figured it would try to lose me in the plaza crowd. As busy as the market was, I expect Talos is incredibly crowded." He paused in his speech, drawing in some deep breaths before continuing. "Thought I would surprise it a little by heading down to the Waterfront and ambushing it when it walked through the gate."

Just before they reached the shadow of the giant circular Temple of the One, Alina stopped abruptly and spun back towards him, sun glinting off her polished armor.

"Whoa!" he cried, nearly running her over, then nearly falling over when he tried to correct his course. She grabbed his arm to steady him and he almost made a joke about it, but the look in her eyes said she hadn't even realized what she'd done. She'd done it on instinct.

"Why didn't you mention this sooner?" she scolded. With a furrowed brow she said, "What if it wasn't trying to trick you at all? Perhaps it was planning to lose you in the plaza crowd and then leave the city."

He blinked at her. "What do you mean?"

"Maybe it only came into town for the holiday because it knew there would be plenty of pockets to pick and empty houses to pilfer. And after the festival was over it could go back to whatever town it came from and sell its stolen goods there."

Harvest's End! Of course! He'd completely forgotten about one of the biggest festivals of the year happening this week. No wonder why there seemed to be an excess of people in the streets. He smacked himself in the head and blushed when he received a quizzical look from the guard.

"All right..." he said. His head was beginning to hurt again. "All right," he repeated, adding, "Change of plans then. You go to the Waterfront and I'll go to the main gate and hopefully catch the thief before they make it through."

"And you think I'm just going to let you leave? Just like that?" Alina asked, arching an eyebrow at him. "That I would let you go to the _front gate_ of the city? I think that last brawl scrambled your brains."

"Considering my current physical condition, I don't think I'd be able to handle the Waterfront," he explained. He winced at his own statement. It was true, though; the pirates would be all over him in a heartbeat if they knew his weak condition. But hearing it said out loud like that... It was so pitiful.

"You can definitely take care of yourself down there," he continued.

"You're right about that," said Alina, a hint of a smile playing on her lips. "But how are you going to actually catch the thief if you should catch up to him? More importantly, what will you do after?"

"I'll think of something," he said. "If I have to, I'll call the Watch down on his thieving hide. And once I retrieve the Amulet, I'll come back to you. On my honor."

She scoffed. "On your honor as a what, exactly?"

Good question. She didn't let him get away with anything. He was impressed by her undying dedication to drive him utterly mad by wasting time.

"On my honor as your prisoner," he said.

Thinking she would laugh, he was surprised when she put her hand on his shoulder and told him to go.

"Just bring that Amulet back," she said, staring at him intently. "Retrieving it matters far more than your honor. Or mine."

Giving her a little lopsided grin, he set off as fast as he dared to go, toward the front gate. Although his body seemed to be holding up, he wasn't sure how much longer it would withstand all the running around he was doing. But he knew it couldn't be helped. Emperor Septim had given the Amulet to him, as his charge, and he was going to find it. Even if it made him really, really sick. 'Even if it killed him' wasn't exactly a promise he was willing to make now. Sickness he could get over; death, not so much.

His head pounded and his guts clenched as he realized he may have lost the thief, and therefore the Amulet, forever. If that was the case, he wasn't sure his legs would agree with the oath he just made to Alina. They might carry him out of the city as fast as they possibly could. That thought made his guts hurt even more. He had never considered himself a coward, but the resignation to die he'd felt in the prison cell seemed to have slipped away, leaving a dark stain of fear behind.

He only hoped that he would not have to make that decision. Fervently, he prayed in his head to Akatosh, that in doing his emperor's will he would be rewarded with an easy retrieval of the Amulet.

Oh, and to not be thrown back into prison or put to death. That would be fantastic.

/

Haskeus Lotald was quite content with his life at this particular moment. He'd just made a good load of gold from selling some potions he had made the night before. He hadn't even needed to haggle with the shopkeeper for a decent price. Obviously the shopkeeper recognized great alchemical skills when he saw them. And the gold from that sale more than made up for the gold he'd lost to that wretched fighter a few weeks ago.

Thinking about that man made Haskeus' stomach turn sour. But only for a second. Haskeus had gotten his revenge; had even watched it be carried out. That fool fighter had done exactly what Haskeus had hoped – better even.

He had expected a violent fight, but he didn't expect that someone would be _killed_. And one of the city Watch at that! The fighter had been too strong for his own good, overcoming the guard and slitting his throat.

It had worked out for the best, Haskeus decided. Though he felt some remorse for being the instigator of the guard's death, it seemed worth it to get that low-life scum fighter off the streets. It surely secured the fighter's fate. He would be tried for murder and likely sentenced to death.

Leaning his back against the wooden door of his Temple District townhouse, Haskeus smiled to himself, taking a bite out of a red, juicy apple. Watching the people scurrying about, he wondered what he should do after his afternoon snack. He stuffed his free hand in his pocket, jingling the gold coins he had put there. Maybe he should buy a new alembic. His was dreadfully old and had a few cracks. After all, the best alchemist in Imperial City deserved top-notch equipment.

To celebrate the success of his revenge plan he chose to buy a new piece of alchemy equipment and a new outfit. Something to show he was a man of class. Perhaps something custom made from Palonirya.

If he was going to see Palonirya, then he wanted to be wearing the best clothes he owned. The more expensive the attire, the nicer and more willing she was to work with. As he was turning to open his door, a familiar face in the crowd caught his eye.

His eyes went wide and he choked on his apple. Coughing and hacking, he managed to dislodge the piece of hard fruit from his throat just as the man in the crowd looked his way.

It couldn't be. But it was!

Haskeus could feel his face flush in anger. How did that repulsive, good-for-nothing, daedra-spawned, fighter end up on the street again?! He had been taken to prison! No one escapes the Imperial Prison! No one!

Haskeus threw open his door with a loud _bang_ and ran to a side table in the hall. He yanked the table drawer open to reveal a steel dagger and a small green vial of poison inside – an emergency weapon in case of intruders. One can never be too careful in the big city. He grabbed up both dagger and vial before violently slamming the drawer closed again. In his rage, he slammed the front door shut, too, as he left the house.

That fighter was going to be sorry he had shown his face in Imperial City. Haskeus wondered how on Nirn the man had gotten past the Watch guards all over the city.

It didn't matter. If the Watch was too lazy and incompetent to dole out the proper judgment, then _he_ would.

That fighter probably thought this was his lucky day.

Well, his luck was about to run out.


	5. Chapter 5: Stop, criminal scum!

"So what do you think?" J'Kasha asked, taking a break from nervously chewing her claws. "Is it worth something?"

While she was running from that silly man whose purse she had stolen, she had felt the weight and shape of the bag. Instinct told her that there was something even more wonderful than she had been expecting hiding in this purse. Outside the city gates, nestled out of sight behind the stables, J'Kasha had opened the purse to inspect its contents. It wasn't jangling from a wealth of coins, but from a modest amount of coins clinking against a monstrously huge red amulet. Her eyes nearly popped out of her head at the sight of it and her first thought was that she was rich beyond measure. Closely following that, was the thought that a jewel that large was a fake.

And now she waited impatiently, hoping to hear some good news, while Shady Sam stared into the coin purse.

Shady Sam's silence was fairly typical for him; he wasn't the most talkative person in the world and he was always quiet when appraising. But he had always spoken openly with J'Kasha. One could even call him friendly with her. What worried J'Kasha now wasn't exactly the silence from Sam, but the stunned look on his face and the fact that he hadn't even pulled the amulet from the purse.

"Oh yes," Sam said, finally breaking free from his trance-like state. "It is certainly worth something."

He looked directly at J'Kasha narrowing his eyes. "But where did you say you got it?"

"From a man in the Market District," she said. "I saw it when he dropped it. Then he just set it down and turned his back on it." J'Kasha grinned in glee at the memory.

"I see," said Sam. Clearing his throat he tightened the strings on the coin purse and held it out to her. "While I am tempted to tell you of some buyers who may be interested in this particular item, I cannot. I would suggest taking it back to the fool who you stole it from."

J'Kasha's furry eyebrows came together in an expression of confusion.

Before she could ask why, Shady Sam continued to explain. "That particular amulet that you have has been seen by very few, but is well known to many. _That_ amulet is the Amulet of Kings, the Amulet of Emperor Uriel Septim himself. And whoever the man is that stole it from him is either very dangerous or very, very stupid. I can imagine that the emperor will have his Watch looking for it. They might even tear apart the Waterfront looking for it." A thin humorless smile crossed his lips. "Good thing I don't live down _there_."

Though she was covered in fur, J'Kasha's face still managed to pale visibly. She stared blankly at the bag in her hands. The emperor's Amulet? How was it possible for that man to get his hands on the _emperor's_ Amulet? The man looked like he could hardly take care of himself, let alone pull off a heist of that magnitude. Or of any magnitude, really.

Sam was quiet as he watched J'Kasha assimilate the information he had just given her. She pursed her cat lips and turned her attention back to the Breton.

"Who would buy this?" she asked.

Sam closed his eyes and hung his head, sighing loudly. "J'Kasha, I'm telling you, this is not something to mess around with. This is s-"

"Who would buy this?" she repeated louder and firmer, her grip on the coin purse tightening.

Sam pursed his own lips, then licked them nervously before he said, "I know someone in Morrowind."

"Morrowind?" J'Kasha exclaimed, her blue eyes widening.

"What? You didn't think you would be able to sell it in Cyrodiil, did you?" Sam sneered. "Selling that Amulet inside the emperor's own empire would be harder than giving an ogre a bath."

J'Kasha stared at him for a moment. She knew he was right. Of course he was right. But there was no way she could just give the Amulet back. Everyone knew she was a thief, probably including the Watch. If they caught her with the Amulet she would be in some serious trouble. But if she couldn't sell it, and she couldn't keep it, then what was she supposed do with it?

"What do I do?" she asked him helplessly.

"My advice? Leave it laying somewhere where the guards will find it. Don't let anyone see you with it, of course."

J'Kasha sighed heavily. She thanked Shady Sam for his help and dragged her feet across the grass back toward the Chestnut Handy Stables. Thinking about the whole situation, she found it all ridiculous and completely unfair. She had just managed to do something that probably no thief in the _world_ would be able to do again and it was all for nothing. She had finally stolen something of value (and actually gotten away with it) only to be told that it was _too_ valuable. Priceless, in fact.

There had to be some good to come from this, she decided. She would take the Amulet to her parents. They might know what to do. And if they didn't, then they would at least see the prize that she had stolen and maybe, just maybe, earn some respect as a proper thief.

It was all quiet when J'Kasha entered the two-story townhouse in Talos Plaza where she lived with her parents. That was no surprise to her. Her parents were book lovers and often spent their free time reading. She assumed that they could have been out preying upon the strangers in town here for the Harvest's End Festival, but they had already done that. Most of the villagers were farmers and didn't carry much of value anyway.

As she passed through the spacious and well lit dining area, her mother entered from the other side.

"There you are, J'Kasha," her mother said by way of greeting. A look of shock passed over her face as she noticed the coin purse clutched tightly to J'Kasha's chest. "What have you got there?"

Ignoring her mother's question for the moment, J'Kasha inquired, "Where is Papa?"

"He's upstairs in the alchemy room." Her mother turned her head slightly, narrowing her dusty blue eyes at J'Kasha. "Are you in trouble again, dear?"

"No!" J'Kasha replied sharply, offended. Ashamed of the tone she had used with her mother, she softened her response by saying, "Not this time. Not really."

"J'Kasha," her mother sighed, "what have you done this time? Do we need to pay someone off? Please tell me it's that simple…"

J'Kasha shook her head vigorously,. "I don't think paying anyone off is necessary this time," she replied stepping closer to her mother. "As for simplicity… I don't think this will be easy to get rid of."

WIth that J'Kasha slowly, and as dramatically as she could, pulled the Amulet from the purse. Her mother's eyes went wide and her mouth gaped open a tad.

"J'Kasha, how…?" was all her mother could say, staring at the Amulet.

Pleasure at her mother's speechlessness made J'Kasha's ears perk up and she smiled. "I stole it."

Her mother looked her in the eyes then. Looking back at the Amulet, she cleared her throat quietly, before turning her head to yell up the stairs. "S'Darkir, ! I think you had better come see this."

A second later, footsteps could be heard above them as J'Kasha's father came down the stairs. J'Kasha shifted her weight from foot to foot, a strange mixture of pride, nervousness, and excitement coursing through her, as her mother continued to glance back and forth disbelieving, between J'Kasha and the amulet.

On the stairs, her father stopped halfway. "Did you call for me?" he asked.

"I think you need to see this," her mother said, motioning with her head toward J'Kasha.

Her father frowned as he came down the rest of the stairs and opened his mouth to speak. Whatever he was going to say died on his tongue as he caught sight of J'Kasha standing on the other side of the room, with the Amulet of Kings hanging from her paw.

Unlike her mother, J'Kasha's father recovered his speech quickly. "Where did you get that, J'Kasha?" he asked in his deep raspy voice.

"I stole it," she repeated to him.

"No, J'Kasha," he shook his head, "where did you _really_ get it?"

J'Kasha finally lowered the Amulet and her gaze followed it. "I stole this coin purse and it was inside." They didn't believe her. She had actually done it, actually brought something of value home and they didn't believe that it had actually been her to do it. Her brow furrowed and she raised her head to look at her parents, anger flashing in her blue eyes.

"So I _did_ steal it! I may not have known what I was stealing, and granted the man I stole it from was a fool, but still," she said, "I stole it. All on my own."

She stood up as straight as she could, raising her chin in what she hoped was an air of confidence.

Her parents exchanged a look, slightly bewildered. After a moment, her father sighed.

"Alright, J'Kasha," he said. "I admit, it is quite an amazing first catch to bring home."

J'Kasha smiled broadly at the thin compliment.

"But what do you plan to do with it?" he asked her, giving a one-handed helpless gesture.

J'Kasha's demeanor fell at his question. "I do not know," she said quietly. She looked at him, pleading with her eyes. "That's why I brought it here. I was hoping… I was hoping you might have some suggestions."

Both parents looked thoughtful and J'Kasha knew by the twitching of their tan ears that they were earnestly considering the issue.

Thinking the information might be useful in their decision, she said, "I was told no one in Cyrodiil will buy it. But there may be someone in Morrowind."

"I was thinking just that," her father said, frowning again.

"Perhaps it is time for a little vacation?" her mother suggested, upbeat. She turned to her husband. "It may still be possible to make a profit on this. We could buy passage for J'Kasha to cross into Morrowind to meet with the potential buyer."

"J'Kasha?" her father seemed surprised. "No, I would not send my daughter into Morrowind." J'Kasha noted the way the word _Morrowind_ was not so much spoken as it was growled. She gulped.

"Yes, J'Kasha!" her mother argued back. "If you or I go then it may seem suspicious, but if J'Kasha goes? No one would suspect a thing! No one would be expecting J'Kasha of all people to be carrying the Amulet of Kings!"

J'Kasha shrank a little bit. Her mother's remark was not meant to injure her, but it hurt all the same. Without anyone knowing the reason why she was traveling there, the trip wouldn't help her reputation at all. This knowledge disappointed her.

"Hmm," her father hummed, mulling it over. He finally looked up at J'Kasha and she thought she could see a glimmer of pride behind his golden-brown eyes. "Ah, my little kitten is all grown up. Are you willing to try it, J'Kasha? Are you willing to take the risk? Morrowind is no place for our kind."

J'Kasha held her breath while she thought, then let it out in an explosive sigh.

"Will I be allowed to join the guild?"

"What?" Her father appeared taken aback.

"If I do it, I want some recognition," she continued. "I want to be in the Thieves Guild. Whether they know what it was I stole, doesn't matter much to me, as long as they know that it was I that made us richer. On my own. Just me."

She had never spoken so boldly to her parents before and now that all the words were out, she was nervous about it. But her parents didn't seem to be angry in any way. Merely still in shock. They agreed that they would do what they could to get her into the Guild and gave her instructions on what steps she should take next. They decided that the head of the Thieves Guild, the great Gray Fox himself, should know about the Amulet J'Kasha held.

"Go down to the Waterfront and find Armand," her father told her. "Tell him that S'Darkir needs to speak to the Gray Fox and that I will meet him at the usual spot, usual time."

Trying desperately to keep his anger in check, Haskeus followed the fighter out of the Temple District and into Talos Plaza. It took Haskeus a few minutes, but he finally noticed the fighter appeared to be looking for something. Or someone. He moved swiftly, but paused at corners looking every direction, even including _up_ , before moving on.

It seemed a bit off to Haskeus, but he brushed off the feeling. Of course the man would be looking for something! Most likely the City Watch! It would be no surprise if they were looking for him. They should be looking for him! He should be hanged! The filthy criminal.

Never mind the fact that it had been Haskeus' actions that made him one.

Passing by a couple of chatting Argonians, Haskeus heard one say, "Did you hear about the emperor?"

His penchant for gossip piqued his attention and he slowed just enough to catch the next lines of conversation.

"Of course I did! It's in _The Black Horse Courier_. Assassination! How horrible!"

"And I heard that no one knows _who_ the murderer is."

So that was it then. Haskeus had no doubt that this dreadful man he was following had somehow been the one to kill the emperor. His emperor! How could he call himself an Imperial and commit such treachery? Now livid with anger, Haskeus made sure not to lose sight of the fighter.

The fighter weaved an interesting path through the plaza, finally entering a garden space between buildings and Haskeus saw his moment of opportunity. Hoping the garden was vacant as usual, he closed the gap between them, pulling out the dagger and poison. The fighter wasn't wearing any armor which made Haskeus' job all the more easy. Perhaps it was his lucky day.

When he was certain he was out of view of any potential witnesses, inside the garden area, he uncorked the so as not to spill any on himself, Haskeus poured its contents over the steel blade. He probably didn't need much; it was particularly strong. He had made it to be that way. But this fighter had escaped certain death once already and Haskeus was in no mood to take chances. He used half of it.

The fighter paused at the exit on the other side and Haskeus saw his opening. Unfortunately, the fighter glanced back over his shoulder to make sure no one was following him. Against his better judgement, Haskeus drew to a halt, hiding the dagger behind his back.

The fighter looked confused for a moment, then a light of recognition sparked in his green eyes.

"Oh, it's you," he said. "I really haven't the time right now-"

Oh, he thought he was sooo important!

"Be quiet!" spat Haskeus.

This seemed to startle the fighter. Then he sighed and his shoulders appeared to sag in defeat.

"I have been waiting for a moment like this," Haskeus continued, "for such a long time. You. And me. Alone in an alley. No witnesses."

"If this is about the money you lost, it's going to have to wait, I'm sorry," said the fighter, holding up a placating hand. "There is something quite a bit more important going on right now."

"Oh, yes," Haskeus crooned. "Far more important. The death of an emperor. I can imagine that turned quite a few heads. Bit of unwanted attention there, eh?"

"What? What are you talking about?" The fighter frowned.

"I heard someone killed the emperor. Killed him and got away. And here you are… On the streets again after I watched you being dragged into the prison itself, after killing another innocent."

The fighter's expression darkened and Haskeus grinned.

"You watched them take me to prison?"

"Absolutely!" Haskeus replied enthusiastically. "I had taken all that time to plan it, I wasn't about to let it all happen without seeing it with my own eyes!"

Now the fighter was beginning to look angry and he was taking very slow steps towards Haskeus. Brilliant! He needed him to come away from the passage opening some more. Didn't want him stumbling out into the open where guards were likely to see him so quickly. Besides, Haskeus was getting quite a kick out of the expressions of unbelievability that the fighter was giving him. He wanted that fighter to know who it was who finally killed him. Finally ended his good-for-nothing life.

The fighter seemed to stare right through Haskeus for a moment, before shaking his head and laughing loudly which sent him into a fit of coughing.

It was Haskeus' turn to frown. He didn't like to be laughed at and he could feel the heat rising to his gaunt face.

"What is so funny?" he asked.

"So you are the reason I ended up in prison?" the fighter asked. "I don't believe you. I was drunk and unruly. That's how I ended up killing a man and _that's_ the reason I was in prison."

"Ah, but I am the one who poisoned your drink!" Haskeus said. This fighter really was dumb enough that Haskeus was going to have to explain it to him. He felt disappointed, but yet elated in knowing that he had been right about the intelligence of this man all along.

"Of course, I didn't actually put the potion in the drink myself," he continued. "Had a sweet little thing do that for me. But I sat around to watch. Had to make sure it worked. I spent a lot of time making that potion. Berserker potion, of sorts. Makes the drinker uncontrollably violent. I had hoped you would assault the Guard when they stepped in to put an end to your tirade. You did me one better by actually _killing_ one of them! I was so certain you would be put to death immediately." Bitterness crept into his voice at this last statement.

"But I wasn't and now you think I got away from them, killed the emperor, and escaped the Imperial Prison?" the fighter asked, arching an eyebrow. "I'm pretty amazing."

Haskeus bristled at the man's impertinence. "That ends now!" Haskeus growled. Finally unable to stand it any longer, Haskeus launched himself at the fighter, raising his dagger to strike. The fighter's eyes widened in surprise; he was surprised at how quick Haskeus moved. The fighter easily caught Haskeus' wrist, stopping the blade mere inches from his face. Haskeus knew the potion would still be coursing through the fighter's body. If he could just wear him down a bit he could win.

But the fighter had gained quite a lot of his strength back. With a nervous glance at the drop of poison hanging threateningly from the dagger, he shoved Haskeus away.

The unmistakable scraping of a sword against its sheath caught Haskeus' attention. He turned in time to see a female guard coming at him. She opened her mouth to speak, but Haskeus wasn't about to listen to anything she had to say. He slashed at her, backhanded. She leaped back, a look of surprise on her face.

The distraction was just enough that the fighter had a chance to rush him. Both of them went down as the fighter's muscular body collided with Haskeus' lean form. Unprepared for it, the dagger went flying from Haskeus' hand. Snarling, Haskeus rolled on top of the fighter until he was in a position to stand up, and faced the guard.

"Nobody breaks the law on my watch!" she said to him.

He gave her a wicked grin and raised his hand. Using telekinesis, he ripped the sword from her grasp. She gave a little gasp and her eyes went wide. Taking the sword into his own hands, he swung at her, making sure his swings were wild to keep the fighter at bay, too. Hewing at the guard's upper arms, he drove her back until he took the opportunity to sink the tip of the blade into the gap in her armor at the shoulder. She screamed and fell to her knees.

The few seconds was all it took for the fighter to dive at him again, but Haskeus was ready this time. He left the sword in the guard's shoulder and turned fully to face the attacking fighter. Placing both hands on the fighter's shoulders, he fell backwards, with the fighter on top. He stuck a foot on the fighter's stomach and, using the momentum fo the fall, flung him over his head. The fighter struck the building's stone wall with a sickening _thwack_ and crumpled to the ground.

Haskeus caught sight of his poisoned dagger lying in the grass and dashed to get it. He rushed back to the fighter who was sitting up, but groaning and holding his head.

"This shall be the sweetest moment of my revenge!" claimed Haskeus.

And he raised the dagger to strike.


	6. Chapter 6: Lost and Found

**Howdy, howdy to the few people reading this! (At least, I** _ **assume**_ **you're all people... O.o? Haha) Anywho, I was mortified to learn recently that I did NOT in fact post this chapter. I thought I had and, well, now I feel flat-out stupid. I** _ **do**_ **apologize! This Thursday marks my one year anniversary of posting this story and I had high hopes to have it finished long before then. But I haven't, so now I will be plunging the depths of my creativity to bring you a complete story by Thursday! Only a couple more chapters to go... I hope that this story remains satisfactory. :)**

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When J'Kasha decided to head down to the Waterfront District via the front gate, so as to avoid so many people, she hadn't been expecting to hear strange sounds coming from the garden passage she intended to take. When she stepped out of the narrow way leading into the garden, she was even more surprised to see a man go flying across the way and hitting the wall.

The stench of steel and armour padding wafted past J'Kasha's nose and she cast her glance around, looking for the guard she knew was there. She saw a female guard crumpled in a corner, blue light swirling around her hand as she healed her shoulder.

The man, of whom J'Kasha assumed had somehow thrown the other man, was scrambling to his feet. J'Kasha wasn't sure whose side he was on, and it didn't really matter much to her. She didn't like violence and wasn't about to let anybody get killed if there was something she could do about it. The man dashed toward a dagger lying on the ground. He picked it up swiftly and ran to the man that had hit the wall. The still-standing man's rage was palpable. J'Kasha could smell the vengeance and something else. Something familiar. Poison...she smelled poison.

Standing behind the downed man, the angry man raised the dagger preparing for the kill.

No way. J'Kasha knew how ugly the death throes of poison were and she didn't feel like watching that today.

" _Look out!"_ she screamed.

The man on the ground must have heard her through his disorientation. He rolled aside at the last second and the poisoned dagger stabbed nothing but the earth.

The dagger-man howled in rage, spinning around swiftly just before J'Kasha tackled him to the ground. They landed hard and J'Kasha wailed in pain as her hands, firmly wrapped around the man's waist, were trapped beneath them. She gasped as the other man pounced on top of them both, his weight nearly crushing her.

"Don't… touch… the blade!" J'Kasha managed to choke out a warning.

The dagger-man was trying desperately to bring the dagger up, but the other man appeared to match him for strength. He just needed a little help to gain the upper hand. Even though she was against violence, sometimes small measures were needed to prevent the bigger ones, J'Kasha decided.

She moved her fingers to get the tips of her claws into the dagger-man's back and pressed. Hard.

He howled and arched his back away from her hands. And as she'd anticipated, his grip on the dagger loosened, allowing the other man to hastily snatch it from other man eased his weight off of J'Kasha, allowing her to roll away.

The guard, now healed of her injury, helped J'Kasha to her feet. J'Kasha looked up to thank her, but paused at the steely gaze she met. This woman was studying her for more than friendly reasons, making J'Kasha uncomfortable.

"Th-thank you," J'Kasha stammered, quickly looking away.

"Thank _you,_ for saving that man," the guard replied, and despite her somewhat unfriendly gaze, her appreciation sounded genuine. With her sword in her hand again, she walked over to the dagger-man, still on the ground. Standing over him, she pointed the sword at his face.

But she didn't address him, instead talking to the other man. "Drop the dagger and go get the guards at the gate," she commanded.

The other man gave her a quick glance and then did as she had said. As J'Kasha watched the man leave she realized he was familiar somehow…

"He's a murderer, you know," the dagger-man said, still on the ground.

The guard scoffed. "And you are what? A vigilante? That's just an excuse to explain away murder. We don't need any vigilantes in this city. The Watch can take care of everything."

"Oh certainly! Hah!" Now it was his turn to scoff. "That man was in _prison_ , where he _belonged!_ "

"He wouldn't have killed anyone if you hadn't poisoned him!" the guard said hotly.

Oh no… J'Kasha suddenly remembered where that familiar smell was from. It was him. The man she had stolen the amulet from. She hadn't smelled the strange smell from before. It must have been that the poison had finally worn off of him. She needed to get out of here. She wasn't sure the man would recognize her, but she needed to get away all the same.

Too late.

The man was back with the two guards from the front gate. J'Kasha swallowed hard and told herself not to be nervous. Be sweet and charming and they will all likely just let her walk away. Unfortunately, the man came her direction while the guards went to collect the dagger-man, who was nearly frothing at the mouth in anger, shouting something about injustice and corrupt systems.

The man stopped in front of her and smiled warmly at her. "I just wanted to say thank you for your help," he said. "That was a very brave thing you did."

J'Kasha nodded in acceptance. "You are most welcome. One does what one must."

The man made a little noise that J'Kasha took to be a sort of laugh. He looked back at the guards who seemed to be having quite a serious discussion among themselves. J'Kasha was about to eavesdrop, but the man turned back to her. He stepped toward her and hugged her. J'Kasha's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"Thank you, for saving my life," he said. He released her and took a step back. "Well, I guess everything is all right here now. You should be getting along," he said.

The female guard spun around immediately, ignoring the other guards and their prisoner, all her focus on him now.

"You're letting her go? You don't have the authority to-"

"Oh authority-schmority," the man said, waving her off. "That's nonsense. What's she done?"

J'Kasha was glad that humans couldn't smell nervousness. She was certain she reeked of it at this point.

The female guard raised her eyebrows in an expression of disbelief. "Isn't there something you would like to ask her?" she pressed.

He frowned, looked at the guard, looked back at J'Kasha. The frown vanished and he smiled again. "Nothing I can think of."

The guard appeared agitated. "But-"

"She should probably get back to whatever she was doing," the man interrupted.

"But-"

"Probably an important errand for her parents. Am I right?"

J'Kasha nodded vigorously. Not entirely a lie.

"Th-"

"Well, go on then. You'd better be off before you get into trouble," the man said, putting a hand on her back and gently pushing her toward the alley exit.

J'Kasha didn't need more prodding than that. She gave the man a genuine smile, mostly from relief, before jogging out of the alley and towards the front gate.

There were no guards here now, so she was forced to open one of the heavy wooden doors on her own. But she managed it, and within moments she was outside the city and walking along the lake-side road. She'd done it. She was free.

She had been face-to-face with the man she had stolen from and he had let her go! Elation welled up inside her and she laughed out loud. This was the luckiest day of her life! She reached under her cloak to retrieve the Amulet for reassurance. But her hand couldn't find it.

Oh no…

She stopped walking, her eyes widening in horror. She looked down at herself and felt all around.

It was gone. The whole purse.

Gone.

"No, no, NO!" J'Kasha wailed. She dropped to her knees, putting her hands on her head. Growling, she beat her fists on the cobblestone road in frustration and anger. Perhaps it was in the garden. Probably lost it when she tackled that crazy man. That was it. The guards were most likely gone by now and she could search the garden.

She rose hurriedly, tripping on her long blue cloak, and ran back into the city.

She looked under every bush and behind every rock in that garden area, but didn't find the missing purse.

Her head hung in misery, J'Kasha slowly walked back home. She didn't want to go home. Didn't want to face her parents. She didn't want to see the disappointment on their faces when she told them she'd lost not just the Amulet, but the entire purse. Briefly she considered running away, but without any money she knew she wouldn't make it very far. Her parents would just hunt her down, anyway.

When the front door of her house was in view, J'Kasha saw her parents standing on the stoop chatting with an Argonian. She paused. Her parents both looked so happy, talking to the lizard-man, that she didn't want to interrupt. At that moment her father looked up and caught sight of her. J'Kasha winced under his golden stare. Her mother noticed the stillness of her husband and looked around to see J'Kasha. There was a little more conversation as the Argonian picked up the awkwardness of the situation and excused himself.

J'Kasha hung her head in shame and approached her parents. They folded their arms over their chests, looking down at her. She was not going to enjoy this conversation.

Not one little bit.

/

"I can't believe you just let her walk away!" Alina fumed.

He smiled, enjoying her little rant. Just as he expected, his smile only aggravated her further.

"What are you smiling about?!" she yelled at him, her face flushed. "Didn't it occur to you that that Khajiit perfectly fit the description that you gave me? Of the Khajiit that stole the Amulet?"

"Yes," he replied calmly, smirking. "It occurred to me the second I saw her. So I took the liberty of alleviating her of the burden of carrying this ridiculously giant Amulet."

He held up his hand to show Alina the Amulet of Kings, swinging from its golden chain.

Alina's eyes went wide and her jaw dropped. She realized she was gaping and closed her mouth. Narrowing her eyes at him she said, "You pickpocketed her?"

His smile vanished and his tone turned defensive. "She stole from me first. And it's not like I hurt her to get it back. Just gave her a little hug." He grinned again.

Alina gave him a flat look, but apparently couldn't hold it. A smile started to tug the corner of her mouth.

"Takes a rascal to catch a rascal, I suppose," he said.

Then Alina did something he did not expect. She laughed. Before he knew it, he was laughing, too. He wasn't sure exactly why he was laughing. Most likely it was relief expressing itself. Relief that he had gotten the Amulet back; relief that he no longer had to argue with Alina; relief that he wouldn't have to go back to prison. At least he thought he wouldn't… The uncertainty of that quelled his laughter.

Alina stopped laughing too, wiping at her eyes.

"So, you heard what he said, right?" he asked her. "About the poison? It wasn't my fault."

The sombre Alina back, she said, "Yes, I heard. I never dreamed that a poison could make someone do something so horrifying."

He nodded, frowning. "Do I still have to go back to prison?"

Alina stared at him, but for once her expression seemed friendly. Finally she said, "Yes. Yes, you do. But only because I can't tell the head jailor your story without you there. It might look… questionable."

"Understood."

"What are you going to do with that now?" she asked, pointing at the Amulet.

"Well, now I am supposed to go to Chorrol and deliver this Amulet to Jauffre," he said.

"And that's the Blades Grandmaster?" she asked uncertainly.

"Yes."

She thought for a moment. "Then I guess we'd better get going."

Did he hear her right? He raised his eyebrows. "You're going with me?"

"Guilty or not, I cannot in good conscience let you walk out of this city carrying one of the most important objects in Cyrodiil, unaccompanied," she said. "You could still be lying about how you got it."

"But you don't really think I am," he said.

She took a sharp intake of breath. "No. Let's go," she said hurriedly and walked briskly out of the garden. "Oh, and by the way-" she stopped suddenly, spinning around to face him "-if you call me 'Princess' or 'Beautiful' even once on this trip, I will stab you and throw your corpse to the wolves. Understood?"

He raised his eyebrows, but wisely held his tongue, nodding silently. She gave a doubtful grunt, turned away, and continued walking.

Grinning, he followed after her.

It was far harder than he thought it would be for Alina to talk the Captain of the Watch into letting him go. They both had to repeat their story three times before he believed them, and even then he still seemed doubtful. He didn't like the way the captain doubted Alina's word, so he helped her out by pulling out the Amulet.

The captain's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "That _is_ the emperor's amulet!"

He gave the captain a withering look. "Of course it is. We just told you six times that we had it. Now please, the emperor was very insistent that I get the Amulet to Chorrol as soon as possible."

The captain's countenance darkened. Clearly irritated, he said, "I don't like your tone. I ought to throw you back in prison for it. But you've made your point. Alina will accompany you to Chorrol to make sure that the Amulet is passed on to the right person."

He bristled at the captain's words, but held his tongue. No minor feat. He had a lot he wanted to say to the man, but Alina quickly thanked the captain and practically pulled him down the street away from the captain.

"Nice guy," he stated sarcastically.

"He is nice," said Alina. "You're just not a very upstanding person."

"Oh, so he's only nice to upstanding citizens?"

"Yes."

"Seems unfair of him."

Alina did not respond, most likely sensing his verbal trap. Instead, she picked up her already insanely quick walking pace.

He chuckled quietly to himself, but it died quickly as a new worry took shape in the forefront of his mind. It had not been easy to convince the Captain of the Watch of his innocence of the guard's death, nor of the validity of his Amulet story, even with Alina backing him. And that was someone who knew and trusted her. What was it going to be like trying to convince a complete stranger of his story? Would it even be possible at all?

He fell into an apprehensive mood, which Alina did not notice from her position ten steps ahead of him. He did not want to worry her, but he had a feeling this meeting with the Grandmaster was going to be more difficult than either of them were thinking. He only hoped that it did not end with him being thrown back into prison.

Or worse yet, him _and_ Alina.


	7. Chapter 7: Highway Robbery -Part 1-

**A/N: Well. That was rude. I WAS going to post this last Thursday, but my internet wasn't working... Figures, right? Anywho, as it turns out, this chapter is not exactly what I expected and is very long (for a "short story"). But it just didn't work the way I wanted it to, SO for artistic purposes I'm cutting it into two parts. Because I can. Hope you enjoy it and have an awesome day! Even if you don't enjoy it I hope you have an awesome day. ;)**

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"I know you're a woman and all, but still, I thought you'd be… I don't know. Different." He tried not to wince under the heated glare that Alina shot him.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she said, shaking her head. They were in Alina's sizable house to gather what she called 'some essentials' for their trip. However, she was doing all the gathering and he was just standing, watching her, under strict orders not to touch anything.

"Will we really need all that stuff?" he asked as he watched her stashing yet another potion into her magic bag.

"There is nothing wrong with being prepared," she claimed and continued packing. Healing Potion. Potion of Restore Magicka. Restore Stamina.

He held back a groan, trying to remember that if not for Alina, he would likely still be headed to the executioner's block. Trying to remain grateful and patient, he turned his attention to something he _could_ do while waiting. Inspecting his own borrowed plate armor that Alina insisted he wear, revealed that it was obviously used, sporting several deep dents, but was in otherwise good repair. Alina had not bothered to tell him where she had gotten it, although he had asked.

When he was done double checking his own provisions, he looked at Alina to find that she was no longer packing, but thoughtfully staring at his coin purse, hanging close by his side.

"Alina?" he asked cautiously. Her look of surprise at being caught staring did not amuse him as he thought it might. Instead, he felt suspicion rising from that deep instinctive place inside him. "Something wrong?"

"I was just thinking... I can't leave without my good-luck charm," she explained, offering an embarrassed smile. "It's in my nightstand drawer. Can I trust you not to touch anything while I go get it?"

"Of course," he said.

She eyed him curiously, narrowing her eyes slightly. His answer had lacked the cocky tone he usually had and he knew it drew suspicion from her. That was all right. Now it would be even; suspicion on both sides.

"Stay here," she said, attempting a friendly tone, but he heard the very serious demand beneath. "I'll just be a moment."

True to her word, she was back within minutes. And true to his word, he hadn't touched anything.

"I'm ready," she announced.

"Oh, finally," he breathed, earning another glare from her. He ignored it and bolted to the door. Well, moved as fast as he could. He wasn't used to the heavy armour and it felt awkward to move in it. It was nice armour, but it was not going to be any fun to travel in.

It felt good to be able to stroll through the city again. A small lopsided smile seemed to be a natural state for his mouth and he did not try to change that. Despite his earlier misgivings about the future, he felt good in this moment. Walking down the city's wide cobblestone thoroughfare with Alina at his side and the sun shining in a clear blue sky, was more than enough to lighten his mood and chase away the demons of doubt. He glanced over at Alina. She appeared to be at ease herself. It suddenly struck him that he had never seen her so relaxed without iron bars in between them. Even then, she had always been a bit on edge. Probably because of his constant verbal harassment of her.

He almost felt bad about that.

She must have felt his eyes upon her, because she looked at him. Nothing more than a lightning quick glance before she looked away again, but he could have sworn that she blushed.

His smile grew a little, but instead of the cocky comment he wanted to make, he decided to try a different approach. After all, he was going to be traveling with her, so they might as well try acting civil to each other.

"So how many days to reach Chorrol?" he asked.

Alina gave him a sideways glance full of suspicion. "About a day and a half."

"Hm. A day and a half. And then... then I can be set loose in the world again without an escort?" he asked hopefully.

Another sidelong glance from her. "We'll see." He did not like her cautious tone, but decided not to inquire her further on it. Honestly, for once, he did not want to know what she was thinking.

Instead he said, "I bet you'll want this nice shiny armour back though, won't you?"

"Yes. I would prefer to keep it," she answered. "Besides," she added with a sly grin, "if you don't have any armour to protect you, maybe you'll stay out of trouble for longer."

Involuntarily, he grinned back at her. "Never stopped me before. And did you just make a joke?"

She looked away again, but not before he caught the sparkle in her blue eyes. "Maybe."

Except for exiting through the main gates of the city, he hardly noticed the next step of his mission. He was so overjoyed to be just _walking_ next to Alina, that he barely noticed the sunlight reflecting off the lake as they crossed the tremendously long stone bridge, or the patrol guard nodding as he passed them on horseback, or the purple morning glories covering the broken down wall of the ruins of Fort Nikel. When Alina led the way, turning northwest onto the Black Road, he finally let his euphoria die down. She would expect him to be paying attention to his surroundings, so he put in an effort to at least _look_ attentive.

"I hope you've got strong legs," Alina called over her shoulder to him.

He lengthened his stride to catch up to her. "Why is that?"

Jerking her chin up to gesture at the winding road ahead of them she said, "This hill doesn't look too difficult, but you'll find the longer we travel on it, the harder it will seem to catch your breath. That's because this takes us up into the low side of the mountains. It's steeper than it looks."

Indeed, he had noticed the incline. He had unconsciously pitched his body forward to help him keep balance and already his legs appeared to be straining to keep an even pace.

The rest of the day passed without incident and was actually rather enjoyable. They took a break at the top of the hill to gaze out over the magnificent view of the Imperial City and Lake Rumare surrounding it. When the sun began to set, they found a spot to camp amid the tall grasses. They agreed on a dinner of fruit and bread, not worrying about a campfire, which might attract unwanted company.

"I'll take first watch," Alina said, when they were finished eating.

"First watch? You really think that's necessary out here?" he asked, yawning.

Alina rolled her eyes. "Just go to sleep. I'll wake you when it's your turn."

/

He did not respond fast enough for Alina and so he was awoken by a kick to the ribs.

"By the Nine! What in Obliv-" he started, grabbing his side.

"It's time to get up." Alina's harsh interruption cut through his confusion and he glared up at her from his bedroll on the ground.

"Do you realize how hard you can kick?"

She gave him a look and cocked her head to the side. "Yes. Would you like me to demonstrate it again?"

"NO!" He moved quickly, getting to his feet. "No, I'm awake now." Blinking at his surroundings he realized the landscape was revealed in hues of dusty blues. Dawn was approaching. With a frown he turned to look at Alina.

"It's morning," he said simply.

"Yes," she said, not looking at him, "it is."

"I thought we were going to do the whole 'standing watch' thing."

Shifting her weight, she replied, "We were."

"What happened? Did you stay awake all night?"

"No. I... I fell asleep."

He raised his eyebrows at her. His lips were forming words, but she waved them away with a dismissive gesture.

"Nevermind about that now," she told him. "We should get going. The sooner we get to Chorrol, the better."

The morning was uneventful, yet tiring from carrying all the heavy armour. It was only mid-morning, when he saw an old fort ruin up ahead and suggested to Alina that they stop and have a rest there.

She looked at the ruins critically. "Ruins aren't generally the best place to rest," she said. "Nasty creatures tend to like to make their home in the old ruins."

"This one is built over a road, though," he argued. "I'm sure the Empire doesn't suffer its travelers to be set upon by goblins or whatever else may be living there. The guards probably keep it cleared of all that."

Nevertheless, he took Alina's warning and approached the crumbling tower carefully. A quick glance around told him nothing lived here.

"See? Nothing to worry about," he reassured her with a standard grin. "It's a lovely abandoned fort! What's its name?"

"Fort Ash."

"Well, Fort Ash has passed the safety inspection," he said, walking with Alina to the opposite side of the tower where the road went out.

"Uh-huh," Alina said. "And what about those?" She pointed to three iron spikes – several white skulls impaled upon them – next to a door leading into the old tower.

His smile faded, but popped back up swiftly. "Probably just to keep people from trespassing."

She arched a fine eyebrow at him.

"Let's just continue our inspection outside, shall we?" he suggested with a flourish of his hand. Alina stepped up to his side to observe the path with him.

The cobblestone road led the way through a swath of peaceful green forest. He stepped out to get a better view and jumped in alarm at a movement to his right. Before either he or Alina could react, a tawny male Khajiit in leather armour stood in front of them.

"Not another Khajiit..." he groaned.

"This is a hold up. Hand it over or die," the highwayman demanded.

"No, sorry. Already did that yesterday and I'm not going to do it again," he told the Khajiit. "So take it if you can!"

"Actually, that's the way this one prefers it," the Khajiit replied, with a wicked smile. At least, he thought it was a smile.

He had seen the big battleaxe strapped to the feline's back, but he hadn't anticipated the speed by which the Khajiit could wield it. In a fluid motion, the Khajiit pulled the giant axe from its place and swung it at his face. Weighted down by the plate armour he wore, he could hardly move fast enough to dodge out of the way of the swinging blade. He felt the air whoosh past his face as the axe-blade missed his nose by a hair's breadth. Thankfully, he had Alina on his side.

Recovering from her surprise at the highwayman's boldness, she pulled her sword free of its scabbard and advanced. While she clashed blades with the highwayman, he brandished his own weapon – a standard silver shortsword of the Imperial Watch. Also borrowed from Alina.

"ARRGHHH!" He released a yell as he ran toward the highwayman. The highwayman looked up in alarm, the distraction allowing Alina to strike. The Khajiit's roar of pain was quickly cut off as her sword cleaved his neck – the easiest weakness in his armour to exploit.

He avoided the sickening display of dying the Khajiit was making by looking away to Alina.

"I was going to get him, you know," he said.

Incredulous, Alina looked at him. "Right. Before, or after, he removed your nose?"

"Well, I didn't want to take him down _too_ fast. Wanted to make him feel good about his fighting skills before I, you know..." he trailed off, sending a wincing glance at the now still highwayman.

She shook her head and let out an amused chuckle. "Can we go now?"

"Yes," he said. Walking past her he added, "This place is definitely _not_ a safe place to stop. I don't know why you even suggested it."

/

In the early evening, the first glimpse of Chorrol was visible beyond the hill they climbed. Coming around a large boulder, he caught sight of what appeared to be a small monastery, its tall, thin, gray windows glinting in shafts of bright evening sunlight.

"There's Weynon Priory," Alina announced.

He nodded grimly. Now to find this Jauffre fellow and convince him of the ridiculous events that had occurred. He gestured to Alina to take the lead and she did so gladly, leading him past the priory bathing in golden light. A male Dunmer saw them and issued a happy greeting, Alina waving a greeting in return.

"Friends with the locals, I see," he muttered once the Dunmer had passed out of earshot.

"That's Eronor," she explained. "Weynon Priory's shepherd. Here we are." She pulled open the door to a rather large building, built over a northward-winding road, with a tunnel allowing travelers to pass through.

"What is this?" he asked.

"The priory house. It's where the monks live. Go on in."

Stepping over the threshold, he was greeted immediately by a wide wooden staircase leading up to a second level. The first floor was open from above, with wooden banisters on either side of the stairs, abutting the upstairs walls which ran adjacent to the staircase and blocked the view of the second floor. The candlelight was bright enough, but three small windows at the top of the stairs let in the daylight.

A monk in black robes came over to meet him and Alina. "Yes? Can I help you?"

He stood silent waiting for Alina to answer the monk. When she said nothing, he looked at her. She raised her eyebrows, questioningly. She was actually going to let _him_ speak to the monk?

"I must speak to Jauffre," he blurted.

The monk seemed uninterested and told him Jauffre was upstairs. He gave permission to go up and went back to his table to sit and read the Courier.

The two travelers headed up the steps to the second floor, where larger windows lit up the room making the candles' pitiful flames obsolete in the daytime. At the front of the priory house's upper floor, in front of the largest window, was a large desk. And behind that sat a man reading a book.

The man had not seen him yet and so he straightened his posture and strode forward, stopping in front of the desk. The man did not look up.

"Jauffre?" he inquired.

The old man finally looked up. Although he had seemed very intent reading his book, he did not seem to be upset by the interruption. "I'm Brother Jauffre. What do you want?"

As usual, he said the first thing that popped into his head. "The emperor sent me to find you."

Jauffre's face registered shock. "Emperor Uriel? Do you know something about his death?"

"I was there when he died."

Jauffre's expression darkened and he glanced to Alina, then back to him. "You'd better explain yourself. Now."

"He gave me the Amulet of Kings." Mentally, he sighed and shook his head. This was not going well. Not at _all_ like he had rehearsed in his head the dozens of times on his way here.

"You brought me the Amulet of Kings?"

He took offense at Jauffre's flabbergasted tone.

"This cannot be," Jauffre continued. "Let me see it."

He untied his coin purse from his belt and gently tossed it onto the desk in front of the monk. Hurriedly, although he tried to make it look as though he wasn't hurrying, Jauffre pulled open the bag to peer inside. He frowned.

Jauffre was beginning to look angry and he had no idea why the man should be angry... until Jauffre exclaimed, "What? This isn't the Amulet of Kings!"


	8. Chapter 8: Highway Robbery -Part 2-

The monk, his face beet red, stood waiting for him to give a response, but all he could do was gape in dumbfounded astonishment. He had checked the bag right after stealing it back from the Khajiit to make sure the Amulet was still in there. And it had been. He was utterly confused.

"I said this isn't the Amulet of Kings," Jauffre repeated. "I don't know what kind of stunt you're trying to pull, but I'm not amused. Who are-"

He interrupted the monk's rant when he snatched the bag from the Jauffre's hand. Reaching into the bag he felt an amulet, but knew without even looking at it that something was off. It was too small. He pulled it out and could hardly believe what he was seeing. It was an amulet all right, but the dark green stone was only half the size of the emperor's bright red gem. The thick golden chain it was on must have made up the extra weight that the gemstone lacked, because it still weighed nearly the same as the royal Amulet. Any difference hadn't been noticeable in his coin pouch.

Alina cleared her throat behind him. Both he and Jauffre turned to look at her.

"I'm sorry for the deception, sir," she addressed Jauffre, "but I felt it was necessary."

Now he gaped at _her_. What had she done?!

"This man," Alina gestured at him, "has a rather blemished past with the law. He claimed he was on a mission to deliver the Amulet of Kings to you. He convinced me when I saw the Amulet for myself. But you understand why I had to take it. It is valuable beyond price and I could not allow him to carry it in case he decided to abscond with it."

Stepping forward, she pulled a small burlap bag from under her armour's steel tassets. She opened the drawstring bag and with a deliberate and graceful flourish, withdrew the real Amulet of Kings.

"By the Nine!" Jauffre exclaimed, his temper back under control and his coloring back to normal. He stepped forward and held out his hand to receive the Amulet. Alina gave it to him, trying to hold back a smirk.

The exchange between Alina and Jauffre had him nearly seeing red. Oh, did he want to be angry with her! But he just couldn't. She had taken the Amulet from him and with plausible reason. If the roles had been reversed, he would not have trusted him either.

"This _is_ the Amulet of Kings!" Jauffre turned his amazed stare toward him. "Who are you? What do you know of the emperor's death?"

So he told him. He explained how the emperor had cut through his cell, allowing him to follow the emperor and his guards, and the last moments of the emperor's life, including the strange requests.

When he was done, Jauffre shook his head and raised his eyebrows in wonderment. "As unlikely as your story seems, I believe you. Only the strange destiny of Uriel Septim could have brought you to me carrying the Amulet of Kings." Still holding the Amulet in his open palm, Jauffre ambled back to his desk and sat down.

This guy might have the answers to the emperor's seemingly crazy death-speech. Seeing a potential to get some answers, he asked, "Who is the Prince of Destruction?"

"The Prince of Destruction he referred to is none other than Mehrunes Dagon, one of the lords of the demonic world of Oblivion," Jauffre explained. "He was involved with Jagar Tharn's plot against the empire years ago. It doesn't surprise me to find his hand in the current calamity. The emperor's words- 'Close shut the jaws of Oblivion' -certainly suggest that he perceived some threat from Oblivion. But all the scholars agree that the mortal world is protected from the daedra of Oblivion by magical barriers."

"'Close shut the jaws of Oblivion?'..." He raised a questioning brow at the Grandmaster monk.

"His meaning is unclear to me as well. The emperor seemed to perceive some threat from the demonic world of Oblivion. The Prince of Destruction, Mehrunes Dagon, is one of the lords of Oblivion. But the mortal world is protected from the daedra of Oblivion by magical barriers."

He wondered if Jauffre knew that he had just repeated himself. In fact, he wondered if Jauffre had perhaps been _schooled_ to say those lines just exactly so. But he let it slide, deciding to go for a more important inquiry.

"How can Oblivion threaten us, then?"

Jauffre shook his head. "I'm not sure. Only the emperors truly understand the meaning behind the rituals of coronation. The Amulet of Kings is ancient." He went on to explain where the Amulet had come from, that it was a holy relic of great power, and that when a new emperor was crowned, the emperor used the Amulet to light the Dragonfires in the Temple of the One.

"With the emperor dead and no new heir crowned, the Dragonfires in the Temple will be dark for the first time in centuries," Jauffre continued. His bald forehead wrinkled in doubt as he said, "It may be that the Dragonfires protected us from a threat that only the emperor was aware of."

No new heir, and yet...

"The emperor asked me to find his son," he told Jauffre.

The wrinkles almost vanished. Jauffre's visage relaxed at any rate. "I am one of the few who know of his existence. Many years ago, I served as captain of Uriel's bodyguards, the Blades. One night Uriel called me into his private chambers. A baby boy lay sleeping in a basket. Uriel told me to deliver him somewhere safe. He never told me anything else about the baby, but I knew it was his son. From time to time he would ask about the child's progress. Now, it seems that this illegitimate son is the heir to the Septim Throne. If he yet lives."

He'd better.

"Where can I find Uriel's son?" Why...would he ask that? His mission was fulfilled! He had successfully delivered the Amulet to Jauffre's hands. He should be free to go now. But no, he had just volunteered to search for someone _else_ now. Mentally, he kicked himself.

"His name is Martin," said Jauffre. "He serves Akatosh in the Chapel in the city of Kvatch, south of here, never knew that he was Uriel Septim's son. You need to find him at once and bring him safely back here. You must go to Kvatch and find him at once. If the enemy is aware of his existence, as seems likely, he is in terrible danger. And please, let me know if there's anything you need. My resources here are limited, but I will help in any way I can."

"...and the Amulet of Kings?"

"It will be safest here with me. When you return with Martin, we will figure out our next move."

He stood thinking about the whole thing for a minute, Alina shifting uncomfortably behind him, before finally making a decision. "What kind of assistance can you give me?" he asked.

"I keep a few things here in my chest to resupply traveling Blades," Jauffre said, gesturing to a large chest against the wall. "Help yourself to whatever you need." Standing up, he retrieved a key from his desk drawer and made toward the chest. He unlocked it and stepped aside for he and Alina to examine. Silently, he went back to his desk, sat down, and began picked up his book to begin reading again.

Really? It was super important to find this Martin Septim person and the Grandmaster wasn't even going to offer to accompany him? Instead he was just going to sit behind his desk ... reading? Disgusted he threw open the chest.

Inside was a selection of armour, weapons, and potions. He quickly snatched up the healing potions, giving Alina a sidelong glance as he did. She was grinning faintly. Next, his eyes roamed over the weapons and armour. Mace, steel shortsword, longbow... A steel longsword caught his eye and he hefted it from the chest. Feeling its weight (and its sharpness) he thought he might take it. He wasn't used to handling a longsword, but he thought it would make him look more impressive. Lastly, he looked over the armour. If Alina was going to take her armour back...

He looked up at her. She shook her head.

"I'm not going to carry an extra suit of armour back to the Imperial City with me," she said. "Just keep it." She sounded almost sad.

"You're certain?" he asked. "I'm sure Jauffre wouldn't mind-"

"Just keep the armour I gave you. It's better anyway." Her tone was so imperious, it made him smile.

After making sure that the longsword was secure and that he had all the potions stuffed away into his magic bag at his side, he and Alina left the priory without so much as a good-bye to any of the "monks".

He was solemn as they walked down the Black Road, back toward Imperial City. Alina noticed his silence and insisted he tell her what he was thinking.

"Come with me to Kvatch," he blurted.

Alina blinked in surprise. She hesitated, but eventually said, "I can't. I am needed back at my post in the city. But," she added at his downcast expression, "I would come if I could."

He brightened. "Really? You would rather travel to Kvatch-with me-than go back to standing in a dungeon all day to be verbally abused by the inmates?"

She arched an eyebrow at him. "Actually, you're the only one that ever abused me. With you out of the picture it won't be nearly so stressful."

"But you would rather travel with me, the abuser, than go back to a stress-free occupation?" The grin he gave her was broad and showed his straight white teeth.

She laughed. "I never said it was 'stress-free,' only that it was less stressful with you around." Her smile lessened and her face grew thoughtful. "I suppose that I misjudged you. Because you were always on the other side of the bars, I figured you were a bad person."

He was surprised by her confession, but tried not to let it show. "You don't think I'm a bad person now?" he asked tentatively.

"No," she said. "I think you may be misunderstood. And I think you need someone, a friend, perhaps, to help you make better life choices."

It was his turn to laugh. "Indeed I do. Well, maybe you can help me with this choice I have to make right now." He stopped walking and turned to Alina.

"Hm? What is that?" she asked, her dark eyes widening as a realization hit her.

"If I'm going to Kvatch, which is southwest of here, should I really take the road _all_ the way back east to Imperial City, which is a waste of two days. Or should I follow my instincts, which are telling me to spend those two days heading straight south from this point?"

Alina pursed her lips and frowned at the ground while she thought. Those deep blue eyes cut to his as she said, "Go south now. Cut across the Great Forest to get to Kvatch as soon as you can. It is imperative that you get to Martin before those assassins do."

He nodded his agreement. Then just stood there looking at her. When he didn't move she gave him a look of annoyance and shooed him with a wave of her hand.

"Go!" she commanded. A smile spreading across her face, she added, "Go now! And come find me in Imperial City after you've led Martin to Chorrol. You know where I live."

His reply smile could not have been any bigger. "Until then, Princess."

He almost did not move fast enough in the cursed steel armour, but thankfully he had the presence of mind to already be moving when he said it. He could hear the silver sword singing as it left its sheath and he could have swore he felt the breeze from the blade on the back of his neck as Alina took a swing at him.

She shouted something about him getting eaten by goblins, but he couldn't hear her properly over his whooping laughter. He dared to stop running and glance back over his shoulder at her. She sheathed her sword and stood watching him. When he didn't move, she gave a little salute and turned away, striding down the road toward the city. He watched until she disappeared beyond the trees, the smile never leaving his face.

He was certain it would still be there when he reached Kvatch. Yes, indeed, he was one lucky fellow, he thought as he headed deeper into the forest. He would get to Kvatch within the week, find this Martin guy, and accompany him back to Jauffre in Chorrol. Then after that, he would go back to Imperial City and see Alina again. And this time, it wouldn't be from the wrong side of prison bars. Maybe there would even be some reward for returning the Septim heir and he could buy Alina dinner.

He felt his luck had definitely changed, for the better, and there was nothing that could happen that would wipe the smile from his face.

* * *

 **A/N: At last! The end of my story! It did not get posted on time for many different reasons, the common factor being life. Anyway, I hope it doesn't disappoint, but instead give those who are familiar with the game a chuckle in the end. Because we all know what he will find in Kvatch. ;)**

 **Nevertheless, I'd love to hear your comments! And if you've actually read this far then thank you so very very much for your interest in my story. It is greatly appreciated! :)**


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